The Color of Midnight
by Yumeko1
Summary: In a time before Lina and Gourry, Valgarv had another life...and a love that helped define his hatred of the Gold Dragons.
1. Daybreak

"Daybreak"

It seemed as though the dark clouds were coming in fast, and the air grew heavy with moisture as the scent of rain settled over the land. Through the heavy clouds, a dark shape moved gracefully across the sky. A dragon, dark colored and sleek moved through the sky, scanning the land with its sharp eyes. There seemed to be no human activity within the forest it was circling, and it spotted an open area just on the other side of the trees. The dragon landed with no trouble, and neatly folded its wings against its back as it surveyed the land. Closing its eyes, it looked as if it were concentrating on some difficult task, and it slowed its breathing and lowered its head.

A moment later, the almost-black dragon began to glow with a bright white light that grew until it enveloped the dragon's entire body. Within the light, the huge creature began to shrink, drawing into itself until it was about the size of a man. Once it reached this size, the dragon's form itself began to change, pulling and tucking in the appropriate places until the shape of a young man was faintly visible through the light. Simple, yet somewhat refined clothes covered his naked figure, and the light around him disappeared in a flash to reveal a handsome young man in a burgundy and green outfit with a long ponytail of light bluish-green hair standing in the clearing. Placing his hands on his hips, he took a deep breath and smiled contentedly. Valtier loved the scent of rain.

This forest was close to a human village, but as he walked between the trees, Valtier decided that it was fortunate that he had decided to take a rest here. The City of the Ancients was truly beautiful, but there was something about the natural beauty of a forest that made him feel rather peaceful. He walked a little deeper into the trees and discovered, to his surprise, that there was another creature in the forest. From where he was standing, there appeared to be a young woman sitting on a rock near a small pond. 

Peacefully watching the leaves blow back and forth on the trees, the woman was smiling pleasantly as her long, light blonde hair blew around her face with the breeze that preceded a gentle rain. Suddenly out of breath, Valtier stepped behind a tree and watched the woman's silent reverie. There was something familiar about her face, and as he stealthily moved behind a tree that was closer to her seat, he realized that she was quite lovely in an almost ethereal way. Moving between the trees, Valtier came closer and closer to the woman as she closed her eyes and let the breeze flow over her cheeks. A circlet lay on her smooth forehead, and a pair of delicate braids on either side of her face blew lightly and fell on her intricately patterned white, blue and lavender garment, weighted by small blue and lavender beads on their ends. Her chest rose and fell with a pleased sigh, and the breeze settled once more in the trees. 

So intent was his gaze on the young woman that Valtier did not notice his foot falling towards a small stick, which broke with his weight and caused the woman's eyes to flutter open at the sound. She looked around the forest querulously, but did not seem terribly concerned.

"Who's there?" Her voice was soft, but rang as clearly through the forest as if she had called out. Valtier stopped short, hiding behind a particularly thick tree. "Hello?" The woman spoke again, and her eyes seemed to stop right where he was hiding. Unsure why he was concealing his presence, Valtier stepped out into view.

"Only I," he said, trying to smile at her. The woman stood, her smile returning and growing softer as she approached him. "Forgive me, my lady, I didn't mean to disturb you."

"There was no disturbance," she said, her light voice almost getting lost in the rising breeze. A pair of eyes the color of a robin's eggs fixed on his, and Valtier once again felt that there was something out of the ordinary about this girl, though he couldn't quite say what it was. "Who are you?"

"My name is Valtier. I was walking through the woods when I noticed you sitting alone here." He bowed politely to her, and the woman blushed a bit as she shifted her eyes away from his face.

"Yes. I suppose I was lost in thought again. I do love sitting out here, watching the birds and the trees and such." After a quick glance at the forest, she turned her gaze back to him. "It's nice to meet you, Valtier, I'm Lileina. Do you often walk here?"

"Occasionally, when I feel the need to get out of the City…" Stopping himself suddenly, Valtier smiled as if he were finished with his statement. He couldn't believe he had almost said "City of Ancients." What was it about this woman that made him so ready to drop his guard? 

"I understand." Lileina looked around the forest once more, then beyond the treetops into the clouds. "It seems as if it's going to rain very soon. Do you live nearby, Master Valtier?"

"It's simply Valtier. And I'm afraid I live…rather far from here." The wind began to blow harder, and Lileina looked a bit concerned. "And you? Where do you live?"

"I live…nearby…" Her cheeks colored a little as she continued to gaze at the clouds. A long moment passed between them, and Lileina cleared her throat. "I have never found anyone else out here at the same time as I. You must be an unusual soul." Valtier was silent, unsure what she meant by these words. But before he had a chance to reply, a drop of rain hit Lileina's nose. "Oh! I'd better be going. I hope to see you again, Valtier." She turned to go, and began running towards the other side of the forest. 

"Perhaps," he said, watching her hurry off between the trees. Her blonde hair was like a flag signaling her departure, and when it was gone, Valtier turned around and walked to the open area where he had landed. As the rain began to fall gently, he transformed back into his dragon form and took to the air, still wondering what it was about that girl that had seemed so odd.

In another part of the forest, Lileina looked around to make sure she was alone, then held her arms out at her sides. Rivulets of water ran over her cheeks and down her neck as she took a deep breath and concentrated on the breeze around her. Instantly, she began to glow, and her slender body grew larger until her place in the light was occupied by a huge golden dragon. Smiling sweetly, she opened her wings and took flight among the raindrops back to her lair, thinking how nice it would be to meet Valtier again. It was true, seeing someone else in the forest was strange, and for it to be such a handsome young man…perhaps her prayers were being heard after all.

Lileina landed gracefully on the ledge that led to the back entrance of the Fire Dragon Lord's sanctuary, then changed back to her human form, this time wearing the white and lavender robes of a miko. She walked slowly inside, her head bowed reverently. An older man smiled at her as he passed, and Lileina returned his greeting. 

"Good day, sir. How does this afternoon find you?"

"Very well, Lileina my dear, very well indeed. Although I could do without this rain." The older man looked her over and smiled as he nodded her way. "Your human form really has become quite beautiful, my dear. "

"Thank you, sir. I really am quite proud of my hair. It's grown quite a bit recently, and I thought the braids would be pretty."

"Good for you. We haven't seen a dragon so young able to transform so effortlessly in a long time. And I do believe that the braids are very pretty." Running a hand through his hair, the old man smiled. "Now, you'd better get along. They'll be needing you in the sanctuary soon."

"Yes, sir." Bowing deeply to him, Lileina hurried down the hall, where she could already hear the council of elders talking. Picking up an ornately patterned jug and dipping it in the great fountain, she walked into the council room with her head bowed low. The elders were involved in a heated argument about threats to the race, and were so agitated that they didn't even notice her come in. Lileina walked around the room, filling glasses with water as she did, then took her place on a chair at the back of the room silently. Council duty was only part of her work.

All the other dragons in the sanctuary were in human form, most with varying shades of blond hair, and most older-looking than Lileina. When in the sanctuary, they kept their human forms as a means of showing their high levels and allowing them into the inner sanctum and smaller space of the elaborate council hall. At that moment, though, they sounded less like humans and more like dragons as they fought. Lileina sat back and listened, as she always did.

"We don't know what they're capable of! Certainly, we tend to underestimate them because they're so much smaller than we, but …" Caiphas, one of the elders was speaking against humans, and as Lileina shifted in her seat a little, Angelus stood up on the other side of the hall, shaking his head.

"The humans really pose no threat to us. They have no real magic, their size isn't even a concern when we assume our dragon form, and they seem basically peaceful." Turning to where Lileina sat, Angelus smiled in her direction. "Please, tell us what you think, Lileina dear."

"Me?" Blushing fiercely, Lileina clutched the water jug that was on her lap and shook her head. "I…I…really don't see what I could add to this discussion…"

"You spend a great deal of time with the humans, child. Tell us how you perceive them in relation to our people." Angelus was one of the dragons who had raised her, and his comforting smile make Lileina feel a bit more at ease. Standing nervously as she clutched her jug, she found her voice somehow.

"W…well," she stammered, looking at her fingers, hoping she wasn't blushing too much. She had never been asked to speak before, had always assumed that a miko wasn't of a high enough rank to speak at a council meeting, yet here she was, standing before many of the ones who had raised her. She hoped desperately that she could make them proud. "It's true, I have spent a great deal of time with the humans, especially the ones of Karal, and for the most part, I believe they pose no threat to us. Karal, the city beside the Wakeful forest, is a peaceful town and the people are much too involved in their own lives and hardships to bother our people."

"But what is their opinion of us?" Another of the elders asked, raising a hand. "Do you know? Have they said?"

"Well, you see, I don't make my self known as a dragon when I visit…but few of the humans have seen one of our race, and those who have write stories about us, even carve idols and the like. In short, great ones, we are either revered by the humans as a mystery or held up as deities." Her blue eyes shone as she scanned the faces of the elders, taking in the different shakes and nods of their heads that went around the room in regards to her statements. "That is all I have to say on this topic, great ones. I thank you for your attention and hope I have pleased your ears." Suddenly shy again, she sat down quickly with her water jug.

"Very well said, Lileina," the chief elder said, nodding his assent. "We thank you for your contribution. Has anyone anything to add to Lileina's opinion?"

"What she says is no doubt true, for who knows humans better than our dear miko? Still, I maintain that our biggest threat comes from the Ancient Dragons. As long as they have that…thing, there is always a threat from them." Another voice rang out to agree with the elder that had spoken against the Ancient dragons, and Lileina looked into her lap. She didn't understand why there always had to be so much fighting. 

"Myriall makes a good point. The Ancient dragons have always been our rival for the favor of the Fire Dragon Lord, and their foolish pride at having the thing of which you speak makes it ever more insulting. It is only a matter of time before they use their power against us." The old man shook his head. "Who knows what they could be plotting at this very moment?"

* * *

"Hey, Valtier," a young man with short black hair walked past the guard who was casually leaning on the side of the Dome of the Ancients. "Asleep on the job?"

"Hardly. I was just thinking." Standing up straight, he smiled at his friend. "How are you, Artemis?"

"Well. Any idea what they're talking about in there?" He motioned towards the Dome, whose doors had been locked while the elders and mikos held council within. Valtier shook his head, his long hair loose around his shoulders.

"No, but it's probably the same thing as always, trying to stay within the favor of the Fire Dragon Lord, keeping the temples safe, you know." Going back to his comfortable position leaning on the wall, he looked over at his friend. "Have you ever met a human, Artemis?"

"Never. Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering." Thoughtfully, Valtier looked at the dome again and put an ear to the wall. "Sounds like they'll be done soon. Want to get a drink?"

"Sure." Artemis sat on a nearby rock, looking up at Valtier. "It must be great being a sentinel. You always get the best food, the best clothes…"

"It's boring as hell." Just as he spoke, the sound of the elders exiting the inner dome came to his ears, and he stood up straight. "They're coming out."

The doors opened, and a group of older men walked out of the dome, talking and laughing, followed by about half a dozen young women in miko robes. As they passed Valtier, they giggled and smiled at him, hoping to attract his attention. Valtier, on the other hand, tried to ignore them.

"Good day to you, Valtier," they chorused, and he bowed perfunctorily towards them with his usual smile. They all reacted in the same manner, by giggling even more and blushing a little. After all, he was a good-looking man.

"Good day to you, ladies. I trust the council finds you well this day?" Affecting his most sincere smile, he fought off a sigh. Mikos were always such an annoyance to him. They were either completely childish, having become mikos just to hold a prestigious position in the city, or unbearably dull. The giggles from those particular mikos told him that they were a young group, and he straightened quickly. 

"Yes, thank you!" Still giggling, they hurried off down the street in pairs as Artemis looked after them, wishing he had made eye contact. 

"Couple of cute ones in that bunch."

"They aren't worth my energy." Closing the doors of the temple, Valtier started down the road with Artemis as his friend stared at him. 

"So what _is_ worth your energy?"

"Now I haven't quite figured that out yet," Valtier said, smirking a little at Artemis. The grass was always greener, he supposed. "But I do know that it's not one of those mikos."

* * *

"Good afternoon, Lady Lily!" A woman with two small children smiled over at Lileina as she walked through the human city of Karal, her home near the Wakeful forest. Bowing to her, Lileina smiled sweetly at the woman, then reached out to the children.

"Good day, Mrs. Terrana." The girls hugged Lileina's legs as she gently stroked their auburn hair and looked at their mother. "I trust that your dear girls are well today?" Two laughing pairs of eyes gazed up at Lileina in wonder, as most of the men and women in that village had dark hair and her soft golden locks were a rarity.

"Oh yes! The herbs you brought for Alicia took her fever down immediately. You're a wonderful healer, Lady Lily."

"It was nothing. But I am glad for your girls. They are such wonderful children, and I do dislike seeing them ill. How are you feeling, madame? I know when we spoke yesterday you said you felt rather ill yourself."

"Oh, I don't think it's anything. Just a little bug, I'm sure." The two women talked a moment longer as the girls played around Lileina's feet, raising up the edge of her skirts to look at her lavender boots. Parting with the family, Lileina walked to the bookseller, hoping that he would have something to amuse her as she sat in the forest. She did love being with the humans. They didn't always seem to be fighting about this and that…not like her true home, where it seemed that all she was hearing lately was talk about the Mazoku and the Ancient dragons. It was enough to make her ears ring. But here, there was nothing to worry about. Here, she was known only as…

"Lady Lily!" The bookseller's face lit up as she walked up to his cart, and he reached underneath for something he had been saving as she bowed to him "Such a pleasure to see you! I have quite a rare book for you today, one only you could get any enjoyment out of."

"Thank you, sir. You're always so kind to me." Taking a purse from somewhere on her body, Lileina handed him a handful of gold pieces, much more than the book was worth, despite the fact that it was an ancient book. 

"My dear, this is much too much money!" Shaking his head, the man looked at her, but she shook her head firmly.

"Where else could I find such rare books in such good condition? No, I think the price is just right. Use it to buy your wife something pretty, hm?" Her eyes were smiling, and the man nodded slowly.

"Only for you, my lady." Laughing a little, he looked at her. "I'm glad to sell you these books at any price. Even I don't understand what language they're in, and I know quite a few. You must be quite a scholar, my dear."

"Yes…" Blushing, Lileina took her leave of the man and walked through the town to the edge of the Wakeful forest and entered with her new book. Few townspeople entered the forest, afraid of what might live within that they couldn't handle. Lileina, however, had no fear of nature and enjoyed her almost daily walks into the woods.

It was so beautiful in the forest, and in her opinion, even better than her home or the sanctuary. She never had to worry about arguing in the forest, or other problems that were presenting themselves as of late. So beautiful that she didn't mind flying a bit farther to visit, rather than simply resting in the Sleeping forest that was closer to the Fire Dragon Lord's sanctuary. 

Lileina preferred the soft twittering of the birds and the gentle whisper of the breeze here to the silence of the Sleeping forest, anyhow. It reminded her that she was, at heart, a creature of the earth and belonged to the trees and water more than the city or the human village. It was easy to forget, since she spent so much time in her human form.

As she walked into the forest, she thought she saw someone near the pond. Cautiously, Lileina hugged her new book to her chest and ventured further into the woods through the trees. As she moved closer, she realized that it was only a shadow playing tricks on her eyes, and she laughed at herself a little as she went to the pond and looked in at her reflection. Human…but not. 

Sitting on the rock that was her usual perch, Lileina opened her new book and ran her eyes over it. It was a book of poetry in a language that had long since been forgotten by all but beings of light and darkness, and her dragon's eyes read it easily. As she sank into the words, she smiled to herself a bit. The bookseller knew her so well.

Behind the trees, Valtier smiled as well. He had decided that morning to take a chance and see if the girl he had met the day before had returned to her place by the pond in the forest. Obviously a creature of habit, she had done just that, and he was pleased to see her again. Sitting on the same rock, reading a book this time, she peacefully toyed with a braid as she leaned a little over her book. Her circlet of light blue and lavender gems lay like a garland over her lovely forehead, and he wondered if it was possible that she had grown even lovelier since the day before. Somehow, her smile today seemed to light up the forest, and Valtier leaned on the tree a bit. He had never seen anyone like this woman before, anyone who had her ability to brighten the leaves on the trees with her very presence. Why, he wondered, was he so fascinated with this human?

"Lileina?" Valtier was surprised to hear his voice speaking her name all of a sudden and she looked up from her book, startled in mid-sentence. Her eyes darted around the forest, and he was relieved to see the smile remain on her face as they did.

"Hello? Is that you, Valtier?"

"You remember my name," he said, walking out from behind the tree. Brushing a stray piece of hair back into his thick ponytail, he smiled at her. Lileina stood up hurriedly, tucking her book into her dress beneath her sash as she did.

"Of course. It's quite a nice name." Bowing as he approached, she realized that she was starting to blush a little. "And…and a bit unusual as well."

"So is Lileina," remarked Valtier as he returned her deep bow. "But, a lovely name nonetheless."

"Oh…" Lileina blushed brightly, looking at the ground. Were all humans so flattering? Certainly, the people in Karal told her that she was pretty, but why did this man's compliments make her feel so shy all of a sudden? "Thank you."

"You're most welcome." His golden eyes sparkled at her, and she smiled up at him. "Why don't we sit down? It's such a nice day." Valtier motioned to her seat by the pond, and Lileina nodded as they sat on a pair of rocks by the water's edge. "I was hoping to find you here."

"Oh…I'm here almost every day. Why…why were you hoping I was here?" Breathless, Lileina looked down into her hands.

"I'm not sure, myself. But it's something quite pleasant, whatever it may be." Another smile crossed his face, and Valtier looked around the forest. "It certainly is quiet out here."

"Yes. I like it very much. It's so very green beneath the trees with the light shining down, and so peaceful with all the little birds singing out. It's the perfect place to read my books or simply listen to nature." Leaning her head back, Lileina closed her eyes and let her long blonde hair fall back until it almost brushed the pond's surface. "It's…magical. That's the only way I can think to describe it. Perfectly magical." She let the breeze flow over her face for a moment before looking up at Valtier, who was watching her face. "What is it?"

"Your face. It seems so peaceful, just like the forest." Leaning back on a tree that grew near his rock, Valtier smiled at her as he folded his arms behind his head. "It's as if you belong here, with nature."

"Thank…you…" Again shy, Lileina glanced over at him. "You're too kind to me. Never before has anyone said such things about me." Her eyes were sincere, their blueness like the endless sky. 

"Now that seems impossible to me." Before he realized that he was speaking out loud, the words had already left his lips, and Lileina pretended to be fascinated with one of her braids. Sensing that he had just said exactly the wrong thing, Valtier looked over at her. "I'm sorry, did I embarrass you?" He was used to saying things like that to the girls in the City of Ancients, just to amuse himself on duty and getting no more response than a giggle. Was this shyness because she was human?

"W-well, a little. I mean…I'm not used to…" What, she wondered? Sincere compliments? The quickening of her own heart because someone like this Valtier sat by her pond and smiled at her and told her she was lovely? "Tell me something about yourself. We…we can't just talk about me all day, can we?"

"About myself?" Now it was Valtier's turn to not know what to say. He didn't know much about the jobs humans had, and didn't want to say anything that might sound too out of the ordinary. "I'm a soldier. There is a sacred…a temple in the center of my town, and I am one of the guards that protects it." At once, he saw Lileina's eyes light up when he said 'temple.'

"Really? I'm a temple guardian as well! I mean…I'm a miko. A priestess of the sacred temple in our town." Knowing that there were priestesses in human temples, she wasn't worried about him finding out that she wasn't quite who she said. To her surprise, Valtier seemed to look at her in disbelief.

"You? A miko?" This was difficult for him to believe, since all the mikos he knew were completely unlike Lileina. "Forgive me, it's just a bit hard to believe." Not understanding his confusion, she tilted her head at him.

"Why?"

"It's difficult to explain." Valtier was afraid that this answer would only cause her to ask more questions, but she left it at that, choosing instead to ask another question about a different topic.

"Where are you from?" Her eyes and voice were so gentle as she spoke to him that he wished that he could tell her the truth. But he knew that it would be impossible for her to believe, much less comprehend, and tried to smile at her.

"It's far from here. But most of the time, it's very peaceful. I think you would like it there." As he spoke, he realized that Lileina looked concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Very far away?"

"I suppose you could say so." He wondered what made her ask this, and Lileina's face suddenly crumpled in distress as she looked up at him as if she were on the verge of tears. "What's wrong?"

"I'm sorry…you walked all this way to see me…" Tears welled up in her eyes, and she shook her head. "I'm not deserving of so much of your kindness…" She bowed her head, unable to believe that Valtier had walked from a faraway village just on the chance that she might be in the forest and sad that she couldn't tell him who she really was. Tears started to run down her face and drip from her slender nose, but a moment later she felt a hand resting on hers. Looking up, she saw Valtier smiling at her, his hand a warm weight on her own.

"Don't cry, Lileina. The journey here was a pleasure because you were waiting for me at the end. You shouldn't worry about me, I'm strong. But you are kind to do so, and I thank you. It just makes me understand what a treasure you really are." His words made Lileina's cheeks burn with shyness, and her tears stopped at once. "No more tears for now?" Wiping the moisture from her nose with his thumb, he smiled, and Lileina made an effort to nod.

"Valtier, I…" Noticing a shadow crossing the forest floor, Lileina looked into the sky and gasped as she saw where the sun was sitting. At once she realized that she was late for her duties at the shrine. "Oh, no!" Jumping up, she looked around the forest for her exit to the valley where she transformed. "I'm late! I've got to go! I'm sorry!"

"Late for what?" Standing slowly up to join her, Valtier looked around and tried to see what she was searching for. Unexpectedly, Lileina grabbed his hand and brought it to the level of her chest, looking into his eyes as she did. 

"Forgive me for asking such a thing of you, but can you meet me again? Here, in the same place?" Her eyes were frantic, and as he nodded, Valtier wondered what she could be so worried about missing.

"Of course. Is tomorrow too soon?"

"Tomorrow is wonderful!" Squeezing his hand with a grip that Valtier wouldn't have imagined her capable of, Lileina smiled brightly at him. Though she still looked rushed, her face seemed to be shining with a light that could only be coming from within her. "Shall I see you then?" 

"Yes, by all means!" Her touch sent a strange warmth spreading through Valtier's chest, and as she let go of his hand and ran through the trees waving back to him, he watched after her eagerly. "Until tomorrow, then," he called after her, and Lileina turned to smile at him one final time before disappearing. 

Once she was gone, Valtier sat on his rock and looked at the pond thoughtfully. She was so kind, worrying about him before she really even knew him at all, and he felt a pang of guilt pass through him. How could he tell her that he hadn't really traveled that far, or that he had flown most of the way? It had seemed to hurt her so much to think that he would walk a great distance to see her, and he wanted terribly to tell her not to worry, that he would be fine as long as he could get a simple glimpse of her face, but somehow that sounded wrong too. There was no way he could tell her how he really felt. 

Glancing down at the dirt by the pond, Valtier noticed a small, leather-bound book lying next to the rocks. Remembering the book Lileina had been reading when he found her, he decided that this book must be the one she had earlier, that she had dropped it in her hurry to leave. The thick leather still held her scent, which his sharp nose was able to detect at once. Holding it closer to his face, Valtier thought he smelled something strange, almost familiar in the book's cover, and he opened it to find out what it was.

Much to his surprise, the book was written in an ancient language that he had thought was no longer even readable, especially by humans. The words were only discernible to his eyes because the language of the book was still imbedded in the memories of gods, dragons and demons. How could she be reading this, even understand the words? It couldn't be because she was a miko, could it? Even the oldest human priests weren't yet born when this language was written. Was she really reading it, or just trying to figure out what was in a rare book?

Slipping the small book into his vest, Valtier patted it lightly. He would take care of it for her and return it when they met again. Perhaps by the next day he would be able to think of a tactful way to as her about the book's contents.

In spite of the questions running rampant through his mind, Valtier smiled to himself and walked out of the arms of the Wakeful forest and into the wide clearing where he knew he could transform into his dragon form undetected by human eyes. As his human figure began to glow and reshape itself, he thought again about Lileina. She was definitely becoming more and more interesting.


	2. Morning

"Morning"

Running up the steps to the innermost sanctum of the Fire Dragon Lord's sanctuary, Lileina hoped she wasn't too late. She wasn't usually so absentminded, especially about things as important as this event, but she had been so involved in talking to Valtier that she forgot to watch the sun. How could she forget something like this? It was only one of the most important…

"Lileina!" A voice called out to her, and she turned quickly, straightening her robes with her hands as she hurried towards the woman who had spoken to her.

"Sorian! I'm not too late am I?" Seeing all the mikos in the hall, Lileina was terrified that she had missed the ceremony completely and was walking up to her friends after they had already finished. She tried to slow her breathing as she walked around the corner where about twelve mikos were standing around in their white and lavender robes. Actually, with her absence, there were only eleven until she walked around the corner. As soon as the girls saw her, their faces lit up and they came toward her. Sorian hugged her sister miko tightly as she smiled.

"No, of course not. But we were certainly worried about you. Where have you been all morning?" Sorian was a little taller than Lileina, with short blonde hair and violet eyes, and was Lileina's best friend in the sanctuary. They both lived in the expansive hall where many of the elders resided, along with some of the other mikos. Suddenly surrounded by her friends, Lileina smiled.

"I was in Karal again." Readying herself for the admonitions she was sure were about to come from her fellow mikos, Lileina closed her eyes. Everyone seemed to think she was odd for spending so much time with humans, but they usually tolerated it with only a few friendly jokes. Today, though, they only gave her a rather sad group look, and she looked around to find Sorian smiling secretively. "What?"

"A certain someone was looking for you again. Someone named Drassi. I think he said he has something he wants to ask you." Raising an eyebrow at Lileina, Sorian smiled. "How many years has he been after you now?"

"More than I care to think about." Looking as if she were going to be ill in the sacred fountain, Lileina held a hand up to her friend to stifle her counting.

"I know just how much you love him."

"Yes, like a spider in my boot I love him." Straightening her robes again, she tried to remove the distasteful picture of Drassi from her head. "I could care less what he wants to ask me."

"Only the same thing he asks you every time he catches you for more than five minutes. Although I don't see how he could think that you would…" Sorian was interrupted by a gong sounding, and she looked up as the doors to the inner sanctuary opened before them. In the hall before the mikos was a huge golden likeness of the Fire Dragon Lord, and they lined up in their pre-determined order, led by Lileina.

Proudly, she led the other mikos into the inner sanctuary and to the sacred fountain, where each girl in turn took a golden dipper and filled it with water, which they carried carefully over to the statue and poured it over the base. Then, one by one, they knelt in a circle around the Fire Dragon Lord's statue and closed their eyes in prayer. This was the ritual known to the mikos as the cleansing ceremony, in which they symbolically washed the statue of their god and purified their hearts. Each moon, the mikos prayed for the safety of the Gold Dragons, and for temperance in their lives. Lileina had been honored to lead the ceremony by the chief elder, and she had been so excited for weeks. So, as she knelt before the statue, she wondered why her mind was a million miles away.

Although she was supposed to be praying at the moment, Lileina couldn't help groaning to herself about Drassi. _Why_ was he always looking for her? He always seemed to find her at the worst times, but considering that any time she spent with him fell under her definition of awful, she wasn't surprised. Ever since she was smaller, Drassi had been after her, but it was only lately that he was becoming so irritatingly straightforward about it. The nerve of him telling Sorian that he had something 'important' to ask her…and Lileina could just guess what that something important was. Just what she needed.

Drassi was the highest ranking soldier in the guard of the Gold Dragons and had a certain arrogance about him that he felt his position afforded him. Somewhere, he had also picked up the idea that he could have any dragon he wanted for his mate…unfortunately for Lileina, this idea of his included her as his mate. Lileina had tried to give him subtle hints that she wanted nothing to do with his plan, but either Drassi hadn't gotten them or was ignoring them. 

So she had begun praying to the Fire Dragon Lord nearly every day for assistance in dealing with Drassi, then taking off to Karal every day for even longer than she had been in the previous months. She knew running away from her problems wasn't going to solve them any faster, but just thinking about Drassi's intentions gave her a headache. And much to her disappointment, the Fire Dragon Lord hadn't given her so much as an earthworm of a sign that he was even listening to her prayers. Wanting in her heart to believe that he was, but feeling somehow that he wasn't, Lileina continued to pray.

__

Please…just one little sign. Great Fire Dragon Lord, please give me some sign that you're listening to my prayers…I've always done my duty for you, even when I had my doubts, so can't you just help me this once? Even a tiny sign would be…just…

Without warning, in her mind an image of Valtier appeared. He was smiling, just like he always seemed to be, and Lileina felt her cheeks get hot. Why had she suddenly thought of him? It had surprised her so much that she had almost opened her eyes, but luckily she had managed to control herself. Surely, he wasn't meant to be her sign…was he? The Fire Dragon Lord wouldn't send her a human to try and ease her problems. And besides, they had just met. Yet…she did look forward to seeing him again…and he made her heart beat so fast…

Shaking her head, Lileina thought about how ridiculous she sounded. And it was time for her to lead the mikos out of the temple. She stood up and looked at the huge idol for a moment, then sighed heavily before leading the girls out into the hall. So much for a sign from the Fire Dragon Lord.

* * *

Leaning on the wall of the great Dome, Valtier flipped through the pages of the leather-bound book Lileina had dropped when she returned to wherever she came from. It was written entirely in Kory'nn, a language that had died out centuries earlier. Once again, he couldn't help wondering just what Lileina was doing with such an ancient book. She seemed like a normal human, and as far as he knew there weren't any humans who could read Kory'nn at all. Surely, she wasn't able to actually read it…

Looking back at the Dome, he wondered why the elders were meeting again that evening when they had met the day before. What were they talking about in there? He wished he could hear through the thick walls, but all he could make out was a murmuring from deep within the heart of the structure. It was beginning to get dark in the City of Ancients, and it seemed as if the only ones left were himself and the elders. The mikos hadn't been invited to listen in on this private council meeting, and this led Valtier to believe that perhaps something was going on. Something that could possibly be serious.

By and by, his thoughts returned to Lileina and her book. He wondered what she was doing, and if she was missing the book at all. Now if only he could think of a good way to ask her about it. 

* * *

As she led the mikos out of the sanctuary, Lileina thought about how nice it would be to relax near the great fountain and read her new book. But then again, she thought, if Drassi was out looking for her, maybe it would be safer to read in her room. While she was trying to weigh the risks of sitting by the fountain, Sorian grabbed her shoulder, startling her a little.

"Are you hungry, Lileina?"

"Yes, very. I'm glad they always fix us a nice big dinner after the ceremonies." Together they walked to the huge dining hall that was in the sanctuary and sat on the side of the table that was reserved for the group of mikos who had just completed what was referred to by the elders as one of the most important rituals for the Gold Dragons' safety. The food had not yet been brought out, but there were full glasses of wine waiting at the place of each miko, and Sorian picked hers up.

"You were wonderful, Lileina. I'm sure we will have a good moon this time." She sipped a little of her wine as she smiled at Lileina. 

"I really didn't do that much," she replied, blushing a little as she remembered just how little praying she had actually done, not to mention that she had been thinking about Valtier during the ceremony.

"That's for sure," a snide voice murmured at the other end of the table, and Sorian sent an icy look down to the voice's owner, a miko named Rinoa who was giving Lileina a dagger-filled look. Ignoring her, Lileina continued to chat with Sorian about various things that were not miko-related. Rinoa had always disliked Lileina, even when they were younger, because the elders had favored the little girl they were raising. In an attempt to win their attention Rinoa had become a miko, not realizing that Lileina had been trained to be a miko since she was a tiny dragon. Since then, Rinoa had been throwing an ongoing tantrum whenever she wanted something that Lileina had gotten, and she had wanted to be the one who led the cleansing ceremony. Of course, there was also the fact that Rinoa had a huge crush on someone Lileina wished would maintain a distance of at least 500 meters from her general vicinity.

"Don't look now, but he's here." Sorian noticed Drassi first as he walked into the dining room, and Lileina weighed the pros and cons of ducking under the table as she grimaced at her friend. Although Rinoa stood up to greet him, Drassi walked directly over to Lileina and smiled in his arrogant way.

"Good day, Lileina. I thought I might find you here. I trust the cleansing ceremony went well?" He lifted her hand from the table and kissed it, making Lileina's stomach turn over. It never failed. Whenever he got too close to her, she began to feel so…queasy. Pulling her hand away, Lileina tried to surreptitiously wipe it on her robe.

"Good day to you too, Drassi." She spoke curtly to him, looking away and thinking of her book as she did. Still smiling, he sat across from her at the table as the food was brought out to them. Lileina gave her friend a look that begged for help, but Sorian didn't know what she could do.

"You were nowhere to be found this morning, my lady. Don't tell me you were visiting those human villages again?" Drassi disliked humans for some reason, and the patronizing tone in his voice only made Lileina more annoyed with him. She fixed her eyes on him coldly.

"They are fine company, Drassi. And they do not constantly pester me for answers to questions I would rather not have asked of me." Her tone caused his smile to falter for a moment, and Lileina reached into her robe for her book, feeling quite satisfied with herself. At once, her stomach dropped as she realized that her book was not where she had left it. Feeling around the inside pocket of her robe where the book would have been after two transformations, she felt herself grow cold as she found that her beloved new book was gone. Frantically, she checked her other pockets. Seeing that she was off her guard, Drassi found his voice.

"Something the matter, my lady?"

"No…no, I just seem to be missing…something…" Closing her eyes, Lileina tried not to cry. Her beautiful new book…she would never find another like it. Had she lost it on the flight home? If so, it was definitely gone for good. But she was sure she had… Suddenly, she remembered. When she had jumped up in the forest, the book could have fallen from her dress and onto the ground. Maybe it was still laying there…maybe she could still find it…no, it was already growing dark. Lileina hoped that it would still be there the next day when she went to meet Valtier. Still annoyed at being spoken to so shortly, Drassi ran a hand through his shoulder-length blonde hair and took a glass of wine from his side of the table.

"You should keep a closer watch on your valuables, Lileina. Perhaps if you stopped spending so much time with humans, you wouldn't be so absentminded. You have more important duties as a miko anyhow."

"My duties and my time are my own business," Lileina snapped, finally deciding that she had taken enough of Drassi's attitude for that day. "And you can be assured that unless I lose my faculties completely, they will never be any of your concern." Turning to Sorian, she smiled. "So tell me, how fares your painting, Sorian?" Feeling a little better, Lileina chatted pleasantly with her friends as she tried her best to avoid Drassi's glances and Rinoa's piercing stare. In her mind, she sighed heavily. Why had her life suddenly become so difficult? In her entire life, she had not had so many problems as she had at that moment. 

Still, somehow, knowing that the next day she would be able to see Valtier made her feel better. He certainly knew how to treat a lady properly. And her friends wondered why she was so much more fond of humans than some dragons.

* * *

"Great one…" An older man with white hair stood before the Chief Elder of the Ancient Dragons, his eyes looking very sad. "I'm afraid that the messengers from the Gold Dragons have once again requested that we turn the ancient weapon over to them."

"We cannot permit the thought to even enter our minds," the elder said, shaking his head. "Whether the Gold Dragons request or demand the weapon, it is the responsibility of the Ancients to protect it and keep it from the wrong hands. I fear they don't understand the full ramifications of their desire to control the weapon, that they only wish to use it to defeat those who would oppose them. For all the years we have possessed the weapon, the knowledge that we must never use it under any circumstances has accompanied it." Gazing at a glowing object that lay in a glass case at the end of the room, the elder closed his eyes. "It can only end in tragedy."

"The Ancients will never bow to the threat of any enemy, not even the Gold Dragons," the other elder said, shaking his head. "We will never allow them to possess the weapon, no matter what they may threaten. The Guard of the Ancients will protect it at any cost."

"Yes…" Bowing his head, the Chief Elder looked into his trembling hands. "At… any cost…" That was precisely what he was afraid of.

* * *

The next morning, Lileina arrived in the forest earlier than she had planned to look for her precious lost book. According to the sentries who stood watch at the end of town for bandits no one had been in the forest since the day before, so Lileina was sure that her book would still be there laying beside the pond and had hurried into the forest to search for it.

Now, on her hands and knees, she was unable to find it among the tall grass and rocks near the pond, and she was just about ready to cry. All morning, she had been excited because she was going to find her book and see Valtier, and all the problems of the day before had seemed so far away. But now…it seemed like everything was going wrong again and she tried to keep herself from bursting into tears so she wouldn't look too upset when she saw Valtier. Still, she missed her book terribly and couldn't help feeling rotten because of it. Sitting on the ground, she rubbed her eyes sadly as she wondered where her book could be.

"Lileina? Are you all right?" From behind her, she heard Valtier's voice and turned to see him standing nearby. He sounded slightly worried as he came towards her, and Lileina tried to smile, but failed miserably. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, Valtier…" Bowing her head, Lileina tried to mentally shake herself off. As she did, Valtier came over to help her up. Offering his hand, he smiled at her rather pleasantly. Taking his hand, Lileina couldn't help thinking how different he was from Drassi. If Drassi were ever to help her up, he would no doubt expect something in return. But by contrast, Valtier's strong grip desired nothing more than to help her stand up and make sure she was all right. "Thank you."

"What happened?"

"I…can't seem to find something. I…I had it yesterday, but I think I dropped it somewhere and now…I…" While she was trying to think of a way to explain that she was looking for an ancient book, Lileina continued to scan the ground with her eyes as Valtier reached into his jacket.

"Is this what you were looking for?" Smiling, he produced her book from within his clothes, and Lileina's face blossomed into a smile as she saw it.

"My book! Oh, thank you! I was so worried about it…" Her eyes sparkling in the sunlight, she pressed her hands to her chest as Valtier held the book out to her. Trying not to act too eager, Lileina took it gladly, her fingers brushing against his hand lightly. She held the book to her chest and smiled up at him again. "Thank you so much, Valtier."

"It's nothing, really. When you left in such a hurry yesterday, I found it on the ground and thought I would save it for you. I thought you might be missing it, but didn't know how to find you to give it back." He couldn't help smiling as he watched the gentle way she hugged the book to her chest for a moment before carefully tucking it into her sash and tightening it so that it was pressed firmly against her body. She was only making it more difficult to think of a way to ask about the book's contents, but as Lileina gave him one of her brightest smiles, he decided that his questions could wait a little longer. "It's good to see you again."

"Yes…I was looking forward to seeing you as well." Blushing a little as she thought about her sudden memory of him during the ceremony, Lileina hoped he hadn't looked in the book. It would be a little difficult to explain what she was doing with a book written in an ancient language if he had, but he didn't seem to be suspicious of her so she decided to leave the topic alone for the time being. "Shall we walk a little? Or are you hungry? Karal isn't too far away from here, we could go to a nice little restaurant or, if you're tired from your walk…"

"Nothing would please me more than a simple walk here in the forest with you, Lileina." Closing his eyes, Valtier bowed a little, his long ponytail falling almost to the forest floor. Lileina was glad that he couldn't see her at that moment, for her cheeks had turned a shade of pink not generally found in nature. He straightened up, and she somehow managed to compose herself before he looked at her again. "Shall we go?"

"I'd…I'd love to." Unused to such treatment, except maybe by the old men in the sanctuary, Lileina nodded somewhat shyly and walked beside him down a path she knew led deeper into the forest.

They walked alongside trees that seemed to stretch into the clouds, and every now and then, Valtier would smile at Lileina in a way that made her chest feel warm inside. Walking with him felt nice, as if they had known each other for years instead of just days, even though they weren't really talking at all.

"It certainly is beautiful out here," Valtier commented, looking up at the birds that were singing together in the trees. "I can see why you love it so."

"Mm. It's pure out here…the forest speaks to me when I sit here, among the trees and animals…" Out of the corner of her eye, Lileina thought she saw Valtier's eyes shift inquisitively towards her for a moment, and she laughed nervously. "I…I mean, that's what it feels like…when…I sit here…" The words tumbled uncertainly out of her mouth, and Valtier nodded.

"I can understand that," he said, thoughtfully. Looking at Lileina's peaceful face, a thousand questions popped into his mind, but as she brushed her bangs away from her face and the sun sparkled on the gems that crossed her forehead, all traces of his doubt melted away. She was truly beautiful, much more so than he had first thought when he first saw her, and he wanted to tell her. But Lileina wasn't like the mikos in the City of Ancients, and she wasn't a normal woman either. Just saying something like that out loud, out of nowhere seemed wrong. For her, it would have to be…

"Valtier?" 

…special…

"Yes?" Snapping out of his daze, he looked over into her gentle eyes and suddenly forgot everything he ever knew about anything.

"Your hair. I was saying that it's very beautiful." Apparently, he had been out of the conversation for a little while and had missed some of what she had said. Lileina was motioning to his long hair, and Valtier smiled over at her as he shrugged.

"Thank you. I never really thought about it before, but thank you anyhow."

"Well…it's rather unusual is all. Most of the men in Karal keep their hair short, or to their shoulders. It must have taken ages for you to have grown it so long and healthy." Her eyes smiled at him, and Valtier laughed a little.

"Ages is right. But you've mentioned Karal twice now. Is that your home?" 

"My home? No…but I visit Karal nearly every day on the way to this forest, so I have come to know the people rather well. And I feel so comfortable there, almost as much as I do here." Stopping by the side of the road, Lileina knelt down to smell a flower, the blue hem of her skirt brushing the ground. Looking a little confused, Valtier looked down at her.

"So, what about your home then?"

"My home?" Lileina repeated the words again, her voice sounding a little odd to her ears. Instantly, the arguing in council along with images of Drassi and Rinoa sprang into her mind, and Lileina shuddered a little to herself. "My home is…not so pleasant right now. Many days, I would much rather be here in the forest, where I feel peaceful and calm."

"Forgive me, I didn't mean to offend you. And I'm sorry to hear about your home," Valtier said, offering a hand to help her up. Once again she took it, glad to feel his warm grip around her fingers. His hands were strong, but so careful of the way he handled her. As he helped her up, he looked into her eyes and smiled warmly at her. "But I am glad that you chose this forest to come to. I enjoy your company."

"Valtier…you hardly know me." Blushing, Lileina gently disengaged her hands from his and looked away. 

"I know enough to say that I enjoy walking with you, and seeing you smile at flowers, and that I wouldn't mind knowing more about you." Valtier's aureate eyes gazed at her face in a way that made her heart thunder in her ears, and she felt a sudden chill despite the warmth of the day. Reading her face, Valtier frowned a little. "Is that really so terrible of me to say?"

"Perhaps…I…I don't know," Lileina stammered, pressing her hands together against her dress. "But really…really, you don't know anything about me…" Her cheeks felt as if they were on fire, and she looked down into her hands. How in the Four Worlds was she supposed to react to this? Reaching over to Lileina, Valtier lifted her chin up and looked at her with eyes that were completely serious.

"Lileina, I don't mean to offend or embarrass you. I only want you to know that I take great pleasure in coming here and seeing you, even if we've only just met. I hope you can forgive any sadness I've caused you." The touch of his hand on her chin was like a caress, and Lileina closed her eyes.

"No, no…you've said nothing cruel or out of place. I…enjoy being with you as well. Your voice is kind, and you say things to me that no one else has before." Opening her eyes, she looked up at him. Valtier was smiling once again, but in a different way from what she had grown used to seeing. Not as playful, this smile was somehow softer, as if he was realizing something about her that he liked a great deal. "Shall we walk a bit more before we must part for the evening?"

"It would be my privilege."

When the sun began to hang lower in the sky, Lileina and Valtier returned to the pond to say their farewells. Standing before one another, they both seemed to try and buy a moment more while they searched for the right way to say goodbye.

"It's getting late," Lileina said softly. "Are you sure you will be able to make it back to your home safely?"

"I'll be fine. Will you take care until we meet again?" The sun was slowly turning the sky red behind Valtier's back, and he looked long at Lileina, not wanting to leave her so soon. She nodded, smiling gently at him.

"Yes, I promise. When…I mean…will I see you again soon?" Not wanting to sound too eager, Lileina's smile became shy again as she realized she was already assuming that he was going to come to see her again. Valtier seemed to understand.

"When can we meet again?" Holding out a hand to her, he made it clear that he did intended to come whenever she asked him to, and Lileina wondered if it was terrible of her to want to be a little selfish. Carefully, she took his hand.

"Is tomorrow soon enough?"

"Not soon enough for me." Bringing her hand to his face, he gave her a gentle press of his lips on the back of her hand that made her heart flutter and colored her cheeks. Again, she couldn't help thinking for a moment about how different he was from Drassi, whose very touch made her skin crawl with disgust. "Would you like to meet in this place again?"

"No, let's meet in the field of flowers tomorrow. It's my favorite place in the forest…in the world…and I want to share it with you." Her face was shining brightly, and Valtier nodded at once as he released her hand.

"Very well. Until then," he said, turning and walking away into the trees. Waving one last time to Lileina, he disappeared and she pressed her hands to her chest tightly. With every step she watched him take away from her, she thought about just how far he probably had to go to get to his home, and how all she had to do was spread her wings and fly back to the sanctuary. How could she be so selfish? 

She had almost been able to forget the chasm that stood between them as they walked through the forest together…and had almost fooled herself into believing that they could stay near one another forever. Now…these feelings inside her heart…too strong to ignore and too new to understand…what could she do?

Without warning, Lileina began to tremble uncontrollably. She dropped to her knees on the forest floor and pressed her fists into her thighs roughly as a tear ran down her cheek. Looking up at the emptiness between the trees that Valtier had left behind, she shook her head sadly.

"Valtier…forgive me…"

As he flew into the orange-streaked sky, Valtier cursed silently to himself. He had forgotten all about asking her about the book. Deciding it wasn't worth worrying about, he dipped his wings and turned on the wind to head for the City of Ancients. After all, he could always ask her the next day.

* * *

In her room late that night, Lileina curled up around the book Valtier had given back to her, pressing her nose to it and crying as she did. Her white nightgown hid her tiny feet in its folds, and she pulled herself further into the sheets and gown as if she were trying to weave a cocoon for herself. The book smelled…like Valtier… He had kept it close to his heart, and his scent had overtaken hers in the leather of its cover. The more she thought about him, the more her chest ached, and the more she cried. Tears seemed to well up and flow from a place she thought had been exhausted, leaving her feeling as if she was wringing them out of herself.

Lileina couldn't deny her feelings anymore, not now. It didn't seem to matter that they had only met days before, or that Valtier wasn't even the same species as she, only that being near him made her feel happy, purely happy. She didn't know how long it had been since she felt so…

Pressing her face into her fluffy pillow, Lileina's tears began afresh as she thought about how hard she had prayed for someone like Valtier to come to her. How could the Fire Dragon Lord be so cruel? How could she be so close to someone she cared so much for and not be able to tell him her feelings, much less tell him that she was a dragon? Why, _why_ did he have to be a human?

A knock on Lileina's door brought her face out of the pillow, and she tried to clear her throat. She would have to think of a way to explain why she was crying to whoever was at the door, and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as she shoved the leather-bound book under her pillow.

"Come in?"

"It's only me," Sorian said as she walked into the room, looking worried. "I heard you crying, dear. Is something the matter?" Her room was right next door to Lileina's, and if there was something wrong in one's room, the other often knew about it before anyone else. Sitting on the edge of the bed beside her friend, Sorian smiled gently. "You can tell me, you know."

"It's my heart, Sorian. It aches…so badly." Although she wanted to, Lileina knew she couldn't tell Sorian the whole story. Still, her friend wanted to help, and she ran a hand over Lileina's hair. 

"Is this about Drassi? If he bothers you this much, tell him to go to hell. You shouldn't be crying like this, it's not good for you." It was unlike Sorian to curse, and Lileina sat up suddenly.

"So…rian…"

"Please, that jerk isn't worth this much worry."

"It's…it's not Drassi." Biting her lip, Lileina looked up at her sister miko. Sorian's lilac-hued eyes were kind, searching for a way to help, and Lileina decided to trust her. After all, it was Sorian who she first told that she was visiting the human villages. "It is another. I want so badly for him to know my feelings for him, but there is such a…a gap between us."

"You care deeply for him?" Brushing stray hairs from Lileina's face, Sorian watched her nod before smiling again. "Then tell him. If he returns your feelings, he will tell you. Whatever the gap between you may be, if it is meant to be, then you will discover a bridge. If you can find a way to accept it, so will he."

"It's not so simple, Sorian."

"Everything can be made simple, Lileina. Even the feelings in a most mixed up heart." Kissing her sister miko's forehead, Sorian stood up. "Please get some sleep, Lileina dear. I'm sure your human will be there for you in the morning."

"My…" Eyes widening, Lileina stared at her friend in disbelief. "But…Sorian, how did you…"

"Who else would keep my sister out in the Wakeful forest all day and keep her awake crying all night? I don't fully understand your love for their kind, Lileina, but I do understand what your heart is feeling now." Leaning a moment on the door frame, Sorian smiled secretively. "I have heard of such situations where a human and a dragon were able to find ways to be together, and even marry. For your sake, I hope that your human's heart is big enough to love a dragon." Closing the door, she whispered her last words just before it fell shut. "Good night."

"Good night," Lileina replied as the door clicked shut, and she pulled the book out from under her pillow, pressed it to her face and breathed deeply once more. Maybe Sorian was right. Valtier wouldn't reject her, she was sure of that…if she could just find the right way to tell him, he would understand…somehow…

* * *

In his own bed in the City of Ancients, Valtier was having very different thoughts. Smiling as he replayed the memory of his walk with Lileina in his mind, he rolled over on his back, his blue-green hair loose and wild against the covers and pillow. If only he could have somehow made the day longer so they could have continued walking together. But she had been worried that he wouldn't be able to make it home before it became too late, and once again he had felt a stab of guilt at making her feel so worried about him, especially since there was no cause for her to be.

Still, he couldn't get her out of his mind. Her eyes…so blue…and her hair looked so…soft…he suddenly had an inexplicable urge to run his fingers through her golden hair and hold her tightly in his arms and tell her that she shouldn't worry ever again, not about him or about anything else.

A parade of questions marched through his head, and he looked at the ceiling as he thought about them. Was this really it? Could Lileina really be the one he was looking for? The one 'worth his energy?' Laughing a little to himself, Valtier shook his head as he thought of his friend. Wouldn't Artemis just _love_ this?

* * *

The sun shone brightly on the colorful field of flowers in the valley as Valtier walked out of the forest, looking for Lileina. They had agreed to meet in that very spot, but he couldn't see her anywhere. Worried for a moment that she had been unable to meet him, Valtier looked over his shoulder. The wind picked up suddenly, blinding him in a storm of flower petals. Putting a hand over his eyes, Valtier stood still and waited until the wind had stopped blowing his hair around to pull his hand away.

When he opened his eyes again, Lileina was standing on the other side of the field of flowers, looking somewhat winded, as if she had been running. Suddenly relieved, Valtier walked towards her, smiling as he pulled his hair over his shoulder. All of a sudden Lileina hurried across the field, her eyes shining with tears. She met him halfway, throwing her arms around him as she nearly knocked him backwards onto the ground. Surprised, Valtier looked down to see that tears were running down Lileina's cheeks as she hugged him tightly. Somewhat uncertainly, he placed his arms around her in what he hoped was a comforting gesture.

"Lileina? What's wrong? Has something happened?"

"Happened?" Her cheek pressing against his vest, Lileina breathed in his scent as she spoke, and a fresh river of tears flowed over her face. Taking strength from his arms and from Sorian's words, she looked up at him slowly. "Valtier, I…there's something I have to tell you."

"What is it?" Holding her gently in his arms, Valtier spoke softly as she looked back down and he lay his head on hers. "Nothing could be as bad as all this."

"It's just…it's…" The fact that he was being so nice to her wasn't helping the situation, and Lileina closed her eyes as he sort of rocked from one foot to the other while he held her. "It's something…about me…"

"Lileina, there's nothing wrong with you. You are truly a beautiful person, and not just because you're so kind…you're the closest to perfect that I have ever known. Being near you makes me feel happy, as if there is nowhere else I want to be." Hoping to somehow quiet the fears she was trying to express to him, Valtier held her a little tighter against his chest as he spoke the words he had been waiting for just the right moment to say to her. Somehow, though, it didn't seem to make her happy.

"You don't understand," she whispered, shaking her head. "I…I'm not…" Lileina's legs felt weak all of a sudden, and Valtier held her up.

"Here, why don't we sit?" Carefully, he helped her to the ground and sat beside her in the waves of flowers that blew in the breeze. Drawing her once more to his chest, he smiled comfortingly at her. "Now, tell me what's troubling you so. You have nothing to fear while I am near you."

"Your words make me feel so strong…but I'm afraid that I have something to confess to you. I've been hiding it since we met…and I feel so terrible, because you mean so much to me." Laying her head on his chest, Lileina took a bit of comfort in his warmth as she held back her tears. "I don't want you to hate me."

"Nothing could be so terrible," he said, smiling at her gently as he stroked her hair a little, "as to make me hate you."

"I'm not who you think I am," whispered Lileina as she looked up at him. Carefully, she pulled away from Valtier so she could look at him better. "This body…I'm really…" Trembling again, she pressed her hands to her lap. "…a dragon."

"A what?" Valtier looked as if he were about to fall over as he heard Lileina's barely audible words. Beside him, Lileina closed her eyes and nodded her head.

"A Gold Dragon. This body…is my human form." There was a long silence from Valtier, and Lileina kept her eyes closed. She expected him to scream, or run away or _something_, but he was just sitting there. Bowing her head, Lileina tried not to let the tears that were scratching the backs of her eyelids come forth. "I'm sorry, Valtier. I just didn't want to lie to you anymore."

"Gold…dragon…" Eyes widening, Valtier looked at her and nodded slowly. A smile began to spread over his face as he began to understand. Of course. Her blonde hair…and her ability to 'hear' nature…and the ancient book. Now it was all making sense. Unable to contain himself, Valtier began to laugh out loud. Falling backwards into the flowers, he continued to laugh as Lileina opened her eyes and stared at him. Tears were forming in the corners of his eyes as he laughed, and she wasn't sure whether to be offended or relieved.

"Valtier?"

"Oh, my dear Lileina…" Sitting up, he grabbed her hands and held them gently in his own. "Forgive me for laughing, but I'm afraid I haven't been totally honest with you either. You see…" Another short burst of laughter escaped his lips, and Lileina was beginning to lose patience.

"What is it?"

"I'm a dragon too. An Ancient Dragon, to be precise. That would explain my distant homeland and my long hair. So I suppose you can stop worrying about me making it home before dark." He continued to laugh a little, then noticed that Lileina was staring at him rather blankly. "Really."

"Ancient…? Dragon…?" Her voice was a little faraway, and Valtier's laughter ceased as he looked at her.

"Are you okay?" Leaning towards her, Valtier peered at her eyes. They remained fixed, if a little dazed, on his face as she blinked a few times. "Lileina?"

In her mind, she was trying to balance what she knew about Ancient Dragons with what she had learned about Valtier, and so far it wasn't adding up. All her life, she had been raised a good Gold Dragon, believing that Ancient Dragons were cruel, jealous and selfish, but to her it couldn't be true… Valtier wasn't any of those things. He was kind, strong, maybe a little flirtatious, but never… Could it be that she had been taught the wrong things about the Ancients? Looking at his face as his laughter faded and a look of concern filled his golden eyes, she knew that the others had to be wrong…they just had to be…

"Lileina?"

"Thank you," she murmured, smiling at him with suddenly bright eyes. "I was afraid…I thought you were a human, and that you would be afraid of me for being a dragon, or hate me for lying to you."

"I'll say it once more," Valtier said, putting a hand on the side of her face gently and smiling. "Nothing could make me hate you. I don't care what you are…human, Gold Dragon…hell, Lake Dragon, I would still feel the same as I do now." Leaning her head against his hand, Lileina placed her hand over his.

"Valtier…" Closing her eyes, she concentrated on the feeling of his hand on her skin. "You're…so warm…"

"Are you cold?" Putting an arm around her waist, he pulled her closer to his body and Lileina felt a wave of relief wash over her heart as he enfolded her in his arms once more. Another wind blew down from the hills, forcing them both to close their eyes. Valtier leaned his head protectively over Lileina's to shield her from the grass and flower petals that filled the air, instinctively holding her tighter. Her eyes felt hot all of a sudden, as if the tears she had managed to keep back were finally going to get their revenge as she realized that he was protecting her, keeping her safe from even the smallest threat. Inside his chest, she could hear his heart beating a little faster, and it made her smile. So warm.

The wind died down again and as Valtier's arms loosened a bit, Lileina looked up at him and smiled at the bits of grass and flower that were caught in his hair. Gently plucking one of the flower stems from his ponytail, she avoided his glance.

"I wasn't going to come," she said quietly, a little ashamed that she had actually thought about leaving him standing in the field, waiting for her. "Because I didn't know how to tell you…"

"Well, I'm glad you decided to come," answered Valtier, watching her toss aside the little bits of grass. "I would have missed you terribly." Lileina finished pulling the debris from his hair, giving Valtier an opportunity to take her hands. Turning them so that her palms were facing upwards, he looked into her eyes as she blushed.

"And I would have cried the whole day. I look forward to seeing your smile so much that just being without you would have caused me great pain." A soft breeze, just strong enough to lift a few strands of Lileina's hair blew over the flowers, and she smiled. "I never would have believed that miracles could truly occur until I met you, Valtier."

"And I never would have thought that a creature as gentle as you would be able to capture my heart so quickly." Gently, he rubbed her palms with his thumbs as he spoke, and Lileina searched his eyes for any sign of a joke, then looked down into her lap quickly, her cheeks bright with embarrassment.

"V-val..tier…"

"I'm sorry…was that too forward of me?" 

"My mind wishes me to say yes…" Lileina's voice was little more than a whisper as she tried to find the right way to express what she was feeling. Her eyes dancing, she looked into his eyes and smiled. "But my heart forces me to say no…and to encourage you to continue." This made Valtier smile, and he lightly kissed her palms as her blush continued to deepen.

"Then I shall."


	3. Noon

"Noon"

"Raen! Hey, Raen!" Waving his hand at a young man with a short ponytail of dark, blue-black hair, Valtier hurried down the main road of the City of Ancients. The young man turned at the sound of his voice, one eyebrow raised.

"Good day, Valtier. You're up early this morning."

"Am I?" Moving closer to Raen, he smiled and put his hand on the other sentinel's shoulder. "Listen, Raen, I have a proposition for you. What would it take to make you take my shift at the Dome today?" Valtier's smile widened, and Raen laughed as he smacked Valtier's hand away from his shoulder.

"A million gold pieces."

"I'll buy you a drink."

"Come on, Valtier! I already have one shift today, I don't need to make my life longer with a second shift. And what's wrong with you, anyway? You never miss your shift." Giving him a strange look, Raen folded his arms while Valtier tried to look as nonchalant as possible. 

"I've just got something to do. Now are you going to take my shift or not? I'll pay you…a reasonable amount."

"It's a woman, isn't it?" Suddenly grinning, Raen tried to meet Valtier's elusive gaze. Laughing, Raen shook his head. "It _is_ a woman! _You_ are missing your shift to go meet some woman?"

"Who said anything about a woman?" Defensively, Valtier looked away and Raen smirked a little.

"A man, then."

"Are you going to take the shift or not?"

"Sure, I'll take it. But you give me half your pay and buy me dinner. Is that a deal?" Raen held out his hand, and Valtier shook it.

"Deal." Taking a small pouch from somewhere on his person, Valtier tossed it to Raen and smiled as his replacement tucked his newfound money into his armor. Looking into the sky, Valtier thought about how excited he was to see Lileina. Raen patted his shoulder in a rather familiar way, as he turned to go to the Dome. 

"She must be quite a woman."

"She's worth twice that much."

"Really? Then I should have negotiated better." Grinning, Raen went on his way, waving as he did to his fellow sentinel. However, Valtier was already gone, hurrying off to meet Lileina.

* * *

While Valtier was bargaining his way out of guard duty, Lileina was sitting on a small bench at the end of Karal's main street waiting for him with two small children crawling on her lap. She had offered to watch Mrs. Terrana's children while she visited the doctor, since she had nothing else to do other than wait. Actually, she didn't mind the girls sliding down her lap, examining her boots and pulling on her braids. To be honest, she thought it was kind of nice.

"Lady Lily? How come you gots that thing on your head?" Alicia pointed to Lileina's circlet and blinked as Lileina smiled.

"Because it makes me look pretty."

"But…" Alicia looked as if she was thinking very hard about something, and reached up to touch the jewels. "You're already pretty." This made Lileina laugh, and Marie looked up from the ground where she had pulled up the hem of Lileina's skirt to take another peek at her boots. The concept of violet leather was interesting to small children, but she pulled herself away and crawled up onto Lileina's lap to pull on one of her long braids.

"Not too hard now," cautioned Lileina as the girls leaned on her. 

"You smell good," Alicia said, still looking at the circlet. 

"What sweet girls you are," Lileina said, putting her arms around them with a smile. She didn't notice that someone was walking up to her.

"Lileina…?" A familiar voice spoke her name, and she looked up with wide blue eyes to see Valtier standing before her. His eyes went to the children, then back to Lileina's smiling face, looking a little confused. "Um…these children…"

"Lady Lily! Thank you so much for watching my girls." Before she could speak, Mrs. Terrana was already hurrying over from the doctor's. She picked her children up from Lileina's lap, smiling brightly. "I'm so grateful."

"It's no trouble. How are you feeling?" Slowly standing, Lileina looked over the woman, who gently rubbed her stomach.

"Looks like I'm expecting another."

"Congratulations. I will be saying prayers for you, and bring you some healthy herbs from the valley." Lileina smiled brightly at Mrs. Terrana, who nodded and thanked her before taking the hands of the girls and walking off towards their home. Turning to Valtier, Lileina bit her lip. "I'm sorry to have made you wait. I was asked to watch the girls while she was at the doctor and…"

"Don't worry about it. I just wondered where the children came from all of a sudden." They stood before the bench for a moment, smiling at one another in the morning sunlight. It was still early, since they had agreed to meet before noon in Karal so they could spend the entire day together. Only about a week had passed since they first met, but the desire to spend more and more time together was universal to all couples, so they found themselves in the city where Lileina had spent her time for months before she even knew he existed. "Well," Valtier said, breaking the silence, "Where would you like to go first?"

"The marketplace is this way," she said, pulling him down the street. "There are so many interesting things that the humans sell, just wait until you see them all!" Nodding, Valtier offered his arm as he smiled at the excitement in her eyes, and Lileina slipped her arm through his as they walked towards the noisy market that was almost in the center of Karal. As they walked, it did not escape Valtier's notice that some of the men in the village were looking at him and murmuring, and if he listened closely he could hear that some of what they were saying involved Lileina. A sudden burst of pride spread through his chest as he looked over at Lileina, who was completely unaware that anything but the marketplace and her escort existed. One of her small fingers was pointed towards the bookseller's cart, and Valtier followed her gaze to the rows of books on his table. "Here, this is my favorite place!"

"Ah, Lady Lily!" The bookseller looked just as pleased to see her as she did to see him, and he looked up at Valtier. "I see you have brought a new friend with you today!"

"Yes, this is my…friend, Valtier." She was looking over the books, and the bookseller bowed a little to Valtier.

"Good day to you, Lord…ah…Val…?" Humans tended to have trouble with dragon names, as Lileina had explained before, which is why they called her Lily. As the bookseller attempted to pronounce his name, Valtier smiled good-naturedly at him.

"Val is fine," he said, glancing over at Lileina.

"Then, a good day to you, Lord Val. Our dear Lady Lily never mentioned having such a handsome young friend before." This caused Lileina to turn bright pink and clear her throat repeatedly, and Valtier tried not to laugh at her shyness.

"Do…do you have any rare books for me today?"

"Nothing as rare as before, I'm afraid. But I did find this book in an old estate that I thought you might enjoy. Have a look." He handed her an old looking tome that Lileina took great care to open and inspect. While she did, the bookseller turned his attention to Valtier. "So, how long have you and Lady Lily been seeing one another?" Before he had a chance to answer, an extremely red-faced Lileina thrust the book out at the bookseller.

"H-how much for this book?"

"For everyone else, I would ask five gold pieces. But for you, Lady Lily, three is more than sufficient." Almost before the man even finished speaking, Valtier took the book from Lileina's hand and smiled. 

"I'll take it." Handing the book to the old man, Valtier reached into his pocket. "Can you wrap this for me, please?"

"Valtier!" Lileina turned scarlet as the old man began to wrap the book up and Valtier handed him five gold pieces. Her entreaty seemed to have no effect on the transaction, and she gave Valtier a look, which he pretended not to see.

"There you are, my good man."

"My lord, that's too much. As I said, three gold pieces is more than enough…"

"Nonsense," Valtier said, taking the wrapped book from the man and slipping it into his vest. "Nothing's too good for her. And besides, I'm 'everyone else,' aren't I?" Grinning as they started on their way, Valtier waved to the old man. "We'll visit you again soon, won't we, Lileina?"

"Ah…" Speechless and looking as if she might turn into a cardinal, Lileina stared up at Valtier. In response, he took a quick look over the books on the cart.

"Is there another you like?"

"N-no, I…" Unsure of what she was supposed to do, Lileina motioned over to the other side of the street. "Let's…go look over there?"

"All right. Good day to you, sir," Valtier said, walking with the still silent Lileina to the other side of the marketplace. The bookseller, who liked to think of Lileina as one of his daughters, shook his head with a smile. She really wasn't used to being treated so well by a man.

Meanwhile, Valtier and Lileina had moved on to looking at the carts on the other side of the street. Among the ones they stopped at was a jewelry seller's cart that she sometimes stopped by. Lileina was quite fond of the brightly colored stones that were set in the different metals suitable for decorating clothes and hair, but she had never thought to buy any for herself. Her jewels came from the elders at the sanctuary, and of course there was the one pale gem Drassi had given her. She had "accidentally" dropped that one into a lake on one of her flights to Karal. The gems the humans prized weren't as deeply colored as the ones from the Dragon Lands, but she still found them pretty. Now, as she picked up a brooch with a light purple stone that she thought matched her sash, Valtier leaned over her shoulder and looked at it as well.

"That's a nice piece. Do you like that one?"

"What?" Startled, Lileina hurriedly put down the brooch and shook her head rapidly. "N-no, I was just looking…" Smiling mischievously, Valtier picked it back up and examined it.

"I think it would look nice on your dress." Holding the brooch up to the light revealed that there were no impurities in the stone, and Valtier nodded. "The stone is very lovely. Almost like a Taria stone, don't you think?" A Taria stone was a rare gem from the Kataaht mountains, one that only dragons had any real access to, as they were protected by Dimos Dragons, and Lileina tried to find her voice.

"Valtier, no…"

"How much?" His golden eyes fixed on the merchant, who looked thoughtfully at Lileina's red face.

"For a friend of Lady Lily, ten gold pieces."

"It's worth twice that," Valtier said, handing the man twenty pieces of gold and flipping the brooch in the air like a coin. It sparkled as it turned over and over in the air, and Valtier caught it smoothly. "Beautiful." Presenting it to Lileina, he bowed. "For you, my dear."

"Valtier!" Grabbing his arm, Lileina dragged him out of the marketplace in a very uncharacteristic hurry and stopped in an empty street near the square. Laughing a little, Valtier rubbed his arm where her hand had clenched it.

"I forgot Gold Dragons were so strong," he commented, grinning at her. Lileina put a hand on her hip and held out the brooch.

"_What_ do you propose I do with this?"

"Affix it to your dress." Taking the brooch from her open hand, Valtier pinned it into the center of her white and blue dress' neckline carefully and smiled at her as he stepped back. "Like so."

"That's not…" Closing her eyes as she rubbed her forehead, Lileina looked back up at Valtier and shook her head. "I can't accept this."

"Why?" Looking at her questioningly, he wondered what he had done wrong. "Does it not please you?"

"That's not…I mean…" Trying to arrange her thoughts, Lileina sighed. "It pleases me very much." Touching his arm gently as she moved closer to him, she smiled. "_You_ please me very much. But how would I explain it back home?" Moving her hand from his arm to his cheek, she smiled sadly. "No matter how strongly I may feel about you, if the elders found out about this…they would find it wrong."

"So don't tell them I gave it to you." Taking her hand, Valtier's smile returned in the hopes of encouraging her to do the same. "Keep it near your heart, as I keep you, and think of me whenever you see it. It can be our secret. All they have to know is that you got it from the human village." His softly spoken words seemed to leave her no room to argue, and Lileina sighed.

"Valtier…how do you convince me to do these things?"

"It is my natural charm."

"Yes, quite."

* * *

"This is human food?" In one of Karal's restaurants, Valtier inspected a piece of the roast beef Lileina had ordered for them, and she nodded. "Huh. It looks just like dragon food."

"It is the same thing. I will admit that I too was surprised at first, though I never realized what arrogant beings we are until I ate something here in Karal. To think that we would actually believe that we eat so differently from humans…" Taking a bite, Lileina smiled. "But it is good."

"Yes. The food is good," Valtier agreed, taking a drink of the wine that had been brought with their lunch. "But the wine is rather weak."

"Mm." Watching him eat, Lileina touched the brooch that was pinned to her dress. He said he had given it to her because he thought it would look nice, but was there something more to it that he wasn't saying? Was this a subtle way of him saying that she belonged to him? And if it was, shouldn't she be more offended? As it was, she felt as if her entire inside had been filled with a swarm of overly excited butterflies.

"Is something wrong?" Noticing that Lileina had stopped eating for a moment, Valtier looked over at her. "Are you okay?" Hurriedly, Lileina shook her head.

"I'm fine!" Brightly smiling, she went back to eating her food even though she had lost some of her appetite for it. Somewhere on the edge of her hearing, Valtier was explaining how he had almost forgotten that they were supposed to meet in Karal, and Lileina watched his face carefully. He didn't seem like he had any ulterior motive. In fact, all she could sense from him was…

"Are you going to finish that?"

…happiness. Pushing her plate towards him, Lileina smiled and let any fears that were still residing in her head fall away.

"It's all yours."

Once they had finished eating, Lileina thought it would be nice to walk to the forest and the field of flowers that bloomed in the valley. It didn't take them long to reach it, and Valtier lay back on the soft grass while Lileina stood a moment and looked over the field at something in the distance.

"I see why you love this world so much," Valtier said, looking into the sky as a few plump clouds lazed past. "It seems so peaceful."

"Yes," Lileina said softly as she sat down beside him on the hill where they had decided to take a rest. While he closed his eyes a moment, Lileina peeked over at him. He was so relaxed…and so handsome with his long hair and strong arms. She could almost imagine his arms holding her forever, just as he had a few days earlier. Lileina couldn't help thinking how nice it would be to feel his warmth surrounding her again, and…

"So when you said you were a miko, I assume you meant the Fire Dragon Lord?" His eyes still closed, Valtier smiled a little. Lileina hurriedly snapped out of her thoughts and looked into the sky.

"Hm? Oh, yes. I'm a miko at the great Sanctuary." Touching the toes of her boots as she spoke, Lileina smiled a little. "That's where I live as well. I've been there ever since I was very young…maybe even since I was hatched. The elders raised me, and I actually became a miko mostly because it was expected of me…and I wanted to please everyone, I suppose."

"You don't enjoy it?" Opening his eyes, Valtier looked up at her pensive face and Lileina looked thoughtful.

"Sometimes. Like when I would rather be reading a book than attending council. But it is an honor to serve the Fire Dragon Lord, and I usually do my duty without complaining." Continuing to pull at her boots, Lileina tried to smile a little as she knew Valtier was watching her. He knew Gold Dragons were filled with an incredible sense of duty, and it showed in the way that she fidgeted every time she spoke of her duty in a less than complimentary way. "But…sometimes, it's hard. And not just because I'd rather be somewhere else… Around the sanctuary, so many men don't speak to me because they think my being quiet means that I'm uppity." Her face turned a little wistful as she spoke, and Valtier reached towards her.

"How anyone could think you are uppity is beyond me," he said, and Lileina smiled gratefully at him.

"I'd like to have a mate one day," she said softly. "But the only male who will even look at me in that way is an awful creature called Drassi, a guard, that I hate. I would rather remain a maiden my whole life than be mate to him." Shaking her head with distaste at the very thought, she looked over at Valtier. "Why is it that so many soldiers are like that?" Gazing up at Lileina, Valtier smiled as he put his arms behind his head.

"Am I like that?"

"You?"

"I'm a sentinel. A guard of the Great Sacred Dome in the City of Ancients. When I told you I was a soldier before, I was telling the truth." It was quiet again, and Lileina smiled gently over at him. 

"You aren't anything like Drassi. Maybe that's why…" Her voice faltered a little and fell silent, and Valtier looked up at her.

"Why what?" He noticed that Lileina was toying nervously with the brooch he had bought her, and reached over to take her hand.

"Why I like you so much," she said softly, turning away a little so that more of her back than her face was towards him. Valtier wondered if she had always been so shy. "You like me even though I'm a miko and a Gold Dragon…you even bought me a nice gift, even though you really shouldn't have done so."

"I liked you even before I knew you were a dragon or a miko." Sitting up, he put his arms around her from behind so that he was embracing her protectively against his chest. Her cheeks suddenly blazing, Lileina stiffened for a moment before relaxing and laying her head back against his chest and smiling a little. Part of her wondered what had brought on this sudden embrace, but the bigger part of her really didn't care too much. It was nice enough just to feel him near her once again.

"Yes…I suppose you did." Lileina enjoyed his warmth for a moment as she continued to think out loud. "A sentinel, hmm…I suppose that's why you're so strong."

"Strong? Not really." Leaning his head on hers, Valtier sounded thoughtful. "There are plenty of Ancient Dragons stronger than me, and all of the Dimos Dragons." As he brought his head closer to her cheek, Lileina could feel his warm breath on her skin. It made being close to him even nicer.

"You're very strong to me," she said softly, her heart beating faster. "And warm…and wonderful." Closing her eyes, Lileina listened to the rumblings his voice made inside his chest as he laughed.

"That's good, because your opinion is the only one that matters to me." Valtier closed his eyes, and they listened to the breeze for a few long moments as it blew their hair around. Holding her tighter, Valtier sighed. "Ah, Lileina. You make me feel so at peace. What is this power you have over me?"

"No power," she replied softly, moving her arms up from her lap to embrace his. "Only a great affection."

"_Only_ affection? I had hoped you thought more of me than that." His arms remained around her, and Lileina smiled as he feigned hurt. 

"Perhaps I shall," she said, her cheeks reddening. "But we have only just met…" Valtier nudged her head with his, gently.

"What if I said I was an impatient man?"

"Valtier…"

"Forgive me. I shall not speak of affection any more."

"I didn't say _that_." Opening her eyes, Lileina was pleased to see that Valtier was, once again, grinning widely, possibly holding back laughter. With a small sigh, she shook her head and closed her eyes again as he leaned on her.

"You truly are wonderful."

The sun went down slowly while they sat together in the valley, simply enjoying one another's company, and neither noticed the position of the sun until it began to redden the sky with its sinking rays. When it was hanging too low to ignore any longer, Lileina and Valtier stood before one another, trying to find a way to say the good-byes that seemed to get harder with each passing day. The only thing that seems to make parting bearable for either was the knowledge that they would meet again as soon as they were able, which seemed to always be the next day.

"I shall see you tomorrow?" Valtier looked hopefully at Lileina, who nodded slowly as she seemed to think about something.

"Yes, after I take care of my duties at the shrine. It seems it is my turn to sweep and fill the lanterns. But I will meet you here, in this field of flowers just after noon. Is that all right?" Her happiness shone brightly on her face, and Valtier nodded at once.

"Of course. I happen to have an early shift tomorrow as well. But I shall meet you here at noon and think of you every moment until we meet again." Gently pressing a finger to Lileina's new brooch, he smiled. "You will be near my heart as always."

"And you in mine," Lileina said, her cheeks coloring as she looked up at him. She wished she knew something she could give him, some sort of keepsake to remember her by until the next day. Her face brightening, Lileina reached into her dress and pulled out a light blue handkerchief, which she pressed into Valtier's hand. "Here. Take this, and let it remind you of my promise until then."

"I will remember," he said, tucking the handkerchief into his vest just over his heart. It was more precious to him than almost anything she could have given him, and he wanted to keep it safe. "But I shall miss you nonetheless." 

"And I will miss you." Looking as if she didn't want to leave, Lileina stood before him, trying to think of something to say. Remembering something suddenly, Valtier reached into the other side of his vest and pulled out the wrapped package from the bookseller's cart. "Here's your book, my dear. I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed being with you today."

"Thank you…and I shall try my best, but I'm afraid that my memories of my time with you will be sweeter than any poem." Lileina pressed the book to her heart, and smiled at Valtier once more. "I must go. Until tomorrow, Valtier."

"Until then, my dear Lileina." A little sadly, he watched her walk slowly into the trees, holding her new book tightly to her chest. The setting sun was reflected off her shining hair, and as he saw it disappear into the shadows between the trees he felt an almost uncontrollable urge to run after her, to see her face once more before they had to be apart for a whole night. But she was already gone, it seemed, and he looked away from the spot she had left as he began the walk back to the clearing where he transformed. Already, he was missing her.

* * *

Much later that night, Lileina lay in her room looking at the book Valtier had bought for her in the marketplace. She hadn't expected him to do something like that for her, but the more she thought about it, the more she decided it wasn't an altogether bad feeling to have someone care enough to buy her a little gift. 

Standing up, she went over to the small bookshelf she had salvaged from the redecoration of the Sanctuary's record hall and gently slid the book into place with the other foreign books she had collected over the years. Some were human, like the one Valtier had bought her, and some were just plain foreign, like the one she had bought from the old man the day she was chosen to lead the cleansing ceremony. But all of them were well loved, and she wouldn't have given any of them away for any sum.

With a smile, she went back to her bed and lay down, taking the brooch Valtier had given her off the bedside table as she did. Looking at it in the light, she watched it sparkle a little. Inside the stone, she could almost see his face smiling at her the way he always did, the way that made her feel as if there was nothing else in the world.

Affection…no, it was more than that. She felt affection for Sorian whenever they had their little whispered talks after ceremonies, and when Sorian gave her a good piece of advice. And she felt affection for Marie and Alicia when they played on her lap and asked her to sing them a song. But what she felt when she simply saw Valtier standing in a clearing, waiting for her, was more than affection. When he held her in his arms, it was like she was flying, soaring through the air without ever leaving the ground. If all she felt for him was affection, then why had she not pulled her body away from his when he embraced her? Why had she not even thought to remove herself from his arms? Could it possibly be that she was falling…

"Lileina, are you awake?" There was a knock at the door, and Sorian poked her head inside without waiting for an answer, as usual.

"Yes, please come in." Smiling, Lileina sat up on the bed waiting for Sorian to come sit beside her.

"It has been a few days since we spoke," Sorian said, closing the door carefully behind her. "And I am glad to say that I haven't heard you cry at all. I suppose that means that you and your human are getting along well?"

"Um…" Unsure of what to say, Lileina watched her friend pour herself a glass of water from the jug on the bedside table before sitting down on the bed. Quietly, she played with her new brooch, wondering what she should say. She wanted to tell her friend what was going on, but…

"Is that a gift from him?" Sorian sat down and motioned to the brooch that Lileina kept turning over and over in her hands.

"Yes. And…he has a name. It is Valtier." Haltingly, Lileina managed to speak his name, but nothing else. As close as she knew that she and Sorian had become in the years they had been together, she wasn't sure if this was something their friendship could handle. After all, Sorian was a little more…conservative in some of her beliefs.

"Valtier? What a strange name for a human." Drinking some of her water, Sorian thought about this. "Well, I'm sure he's handsome. And he would have to be kind to win your heart." She took another sip of the water, then smiled up at her friend. "Anyone you would pick would have to be very kind."

"He is…very kind. And handsome as well…" Clearing her throat, Lileina sighed to herself. If she didn't tell Sorian, she couldn't tell anyone. And she had to tell someone about Valtier or she would explode. "But…Sorian…he isn't a human." Gripping the brooch tightly enough for it to hurt, she looked up at her friend, whose eyes had turned a very odd shade of purple. Sorian's eyes had a tendency to change colors when she was excited, and Lileina looked at her. "Sorian?"

"Is he…at least a dragon?"

"Y-yes, he is…an…um, an Ancient Dragon." There was a crash as Sorian's glass hit the floor and shattered into a thousand pieces. She was staring at Lileina with wide, frightened eyes as Lileina grabbed her hand. "Please, you mustn't tell anyone!"

"Lileina! An…an _Ancient_? Have you lost your senses completely?"

"He isn't like they say, Sorian. You were right, he _is_ kind, and wonderful and strong. I adore him, and have since even before I knew he was a dragon of any kind. I can't just seal off my heart because of what people think about his race…you understand, don't you? Sorian?" Reaching for her friend's other hand, Lileina tried to smile.

"My sister…" Though her eyes were somewhat blank still, Sorian's voice was strong. "Only you could see the good in anyone, even an Ancient Dragon, despite everything we have been told. You look deeper than the surface…you always have." Taking hold of Lileina's offered hand, she smiled back at her friend. "No, I won't tell your secret. But promise me you'll be careful? I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Nothing bad will happen, Sorian. Valtier would never hurt me, and he would never let anyone else hurt me either. All he wants is to be near me and keep me safe, the same things I want of him. Why does it matter what he is? All I care is that he cares for me." Lileina pressed her lips to Sorian's hands for a moment. "You are a true sister for worrying about me, and a true friend for keeping my secret. If you ever need a favor, I am here for you."

"And I am always here for you," murmured Sorian. Gently, she stroked Lileina's hair with a smile. "I only hope that you will be happy, whatever you choose, and that your Valtier will care for you as much as you seem to care for him. He is very lucky, you know." Standing up, Sorian proceeded to pick up the glass pieces from the floor and wipe up the water she had left with a towel. "Sorry about the mess."

"It's no problem. What do you mean, lucky?" Lileina sat up and watched her friend go to the door and start out into the hall.

"Love like yours is rare, especially in this world. He is lucky to have earned it." With that, she gave her friend one last smile and went out into the hall, while Lileina stared at the door after her in a sort of disbelief.

Love? Who had said anything about _love_?

* * *

"Nice scarf." Pointing at the blue scrap of cloth sticking out of Valtier's vest, Raen took another bite of his chicken while his dinner companion looked down at the aforementioned 'scarf.'

"It is a handkerchief."

"Nice handkerchief." Raen reached for his beer and drained it in one gulp, then smiled knowingly at Valtier. "A gift from your woman?"

"Perhaps it's time for you to stop drinking," Valtier said, leaning over the table and giving Raen a severe look. "I said I'd buy you dinner, not a brewery." He spoke with some annoyance to the sentinel across from him, thinking that perhaps he had asked the wrong person to switch shifts with him. Valtier had never been terribly fond of Raen, but he knew he was easy to buy off.

"So what's this woman of yours like?" Motioning for a refill, Raen raised an eyebrow at his reluctant benefactor. "Is she beautiful?"

"Didn't I say to slow down on the drinks?"

"Shouldn't have offered."

"I realize that." Sighing, Valtier thought about Lileina a little. "She is very beautiful, and quite intelligent as well. I find myself growing more fond of her with every minute we spend together, although we've only known each other a short while." He was speaking more to himself than to Raen, and tucked the handkerchief back into his vest. "She is…special."

"So who is she?"

"That I cannot say." Valtier gave Raen a sort of smirk that the one under the influence of the most liquor found extremely irritating.

"And why can you not say?"

"Because then _you'd_ try to take her."

"You've got me there."

After spending what seemed like an interminably long time with Raen and paying a bar bill that seriously made him consider arranging a little 'accident' for his fellow sentinel, Valtier finally made it back to his room. Shedding his shirt and vest, he flopped back on the bed and lay back, his hair falling around his shoulders. Gazing at the handkerchief Lileina had given him, he smiled peacefully. It smelled nice, like her skin and wildflowers, and he wondered if she thought about him when they were apart. In the last few days, it seemed as if the only thing he could think about was her.

He had enjoyed being with her the entire day, and was glad that he had taken the chance and put his arms around her. She fit perfectly in his arms…and was so soft and warm…he had never wanted to let her go. Although it seemed as if he had offended her at first by buying her the book and the brooch, it hadn't been his intention to upset her. All he really wanted was to make her smile.

It was rather enjoyable being in the human village, what he affectionately referred to in his mind as 'her world.' He liked watching her talk to the humans and hearing how they called her Lady Lily. Lileina always seemed to be smiling, and for him it would have been like the sun to blink out of existence for her to ever stop. Pulling the sheet over him as he blew out the candle that was near his bed, Valtier closed his eyes. He couldn't wait to see her again.

* * *

"Chief elder," Caiphas said, looking distressed as he walked into the sanctuary, "We have received word from some of our scouts in other parts of the world that Hellmaster is gathering strength. I fear trouble is not far behind, and we should be preparing for the possibility of a war." This was alarming news, since Hellmaster was one of the higher Demon Gods of the world, and the chief elder shook his head.

"We are not a warlike race," he said, walking across the room. "Our people have no real way of battling the demons successfully, and there are sure to be plenty of attacks if Hellmaster is involved in any way."

"At the same time, the Ancient Dragons have rejected our requests to turn over the weapon to us, that we might fight the demons with it," Caiphas continued, folding his arms. "They maintain that it is too dangerous to be released into the world, no matter what the cost."

"Perhaps there is some wisdom in what they say," the elder murmured, looking heavenward. "There is no war yet. We will hold off on our requests for a bit longer, and wait until the situation presents itself to start making demands on the Ancients. Such hasty steps may not even be necessary."

As he walked across the room and knelt before the statue of the Fire Dragon Lord, the chief elder closed his eyes sadly. He truly hoped that there was some other explanation for Hellmaster's actions, but somehow he knew that there could be none and that only tragedy would come out of this in the end. Praying for an answer from the Gods, he hoped that it wouldn't be too much for the Gold Dragons to bear.

* * *

Almost as soon as he landed, Valtier started running towards the field of flowers, transforming even as he ran to the agreed meeting place. Today he was late, thanks to a council meeting that had run over time, and he hoped Lileina hadn't already gone home. Something was squeaking faintly, but he didn't care at that moment. The only thing on his mind was getting to the valley and making sure that Lileina was still there.

Running to the top of the hill, he was relieved to see her kneeling in the field, picking a small bouquet of flowers. He started walking closer and was able to hear her humming a small song as she selected the flowers for her bouquet. For a moment, he stood at the edge of the field, transfixed as his eyes settled on her shining face. She was so patiently waiting for him to appear, completely certain that he would meet her there in the colorful valley, even if she had to wait all day. Unable to speak or even move, Valtier spent more than a minute watching her pick the flowers and hum as she waited for him. He was unable to believe that she would be so very trusting, never thinking for a moment that he could betray her, and this sudden knowledge made him care for her all the more.

"Lileina…" Finally finding his voice, he managed only to say her name before falling silent again.

"Hm?" Turning slowly, a smile spread over Lileina's face as she saw him standing near the flowers, and she stood up slowly with her flowers in hand. The sunlight glinted off the brooch that was pinned safely to her dress and her lavender sash fluttered lightly around her waist as she stood in the middle of the waves of colorful blossoms. "Valtier…" Her eyes shone the color of the sky as she started towards him, and Valtier realized that he was still running as he made his way towards her. Meeting her in only a few moments, he put a hand on her arm as he tried to smile.

"I'm sorry…I was late again. The council ran over time, and I was worried that you were going to leave."

"Leave? Where would I go without you?" Laughing gently, she encouraged him to smile. "I would wait here forever if you said you would meet me here." Lileina held up the little bunch of flowers for him to see. "I was picking flowers for Mrs. Terrana."

"You are so kind, Lileina…" Reaching down, he took a bright pink blossom from the bunch and tucked it into her hair. "You have such a big heart…there's no way anyone could be left out."

"Why should I leave anyone out? I'm happy…I want everyone to feel the happiness that I do." Gently, she patted his chest. "I like your armor."

"My…" Looking down, Valtier realized what had been squeaking. Somehow when he had changed to his human form, his mind had been so preoccupied that he had formed his sentinel's armor over his body instead of the clothes he usually wore when he and Lileina were together. "Damn. I knew I was forgetting something."

"You look very handsome," she said, hugging him tightly in spite of the hard layer that was over his usually warm skin. "Is this really what you wear when you're guarding the Dome?"

"All of us do. I guess I just forgot that it was on, I was in such a hurry to get here. If you like, I can change." Glad that he had at least remembered to pull back his hair, Valtier looked to Lileina for an answer. To his surprise, she shook her head.

"I like it. Maybe…it's not exactly what I would wear every day, but it's kind of a nice change. If it doesn't bother you, I mean."

"You think so?" Once again looking down at his uniform, Valtier frowned a little as he thought about the rather ornate armor that covered his body. He did not see that Lileina was standing up on her tiptoes while he was distracted. "I could probably live without the…" Out of the blue, Lileina interrupted his words as she popped up onto her toes and kissed him, a tiny peck on the cheek that came as a total surprise to him. Staring at her blankly, Valtier pressed a hand to the spot her lips had touched as she smiled. Her cheeks were a little pink, but otherwise she seemed pleased with herself. "Lileina…?"

"A change is nice once in a while, don't you think?"

"Yes…I suppose it is." Still a bit bewildered by her sudden action, he watched as she tied the flowers up with a bow and tucked them into her sash. Her face was bright, as if she had been planning this all along, and he couldn't help wondering what had brought it on all of a sudden.

"Would you like to come with me? To visit Mrs. Terrana, I mean."

"Certainly. But if we're going to be walking through town, I want to change. This armor isn't exactly inconspicuous." Spreading his arms, Valtier motioned to Lileina. "Are you going to watch me?"

"I've never seen an Ancient Dragon before," she said, knowing from her own experience that he would have to change completely to his dragon form before he could change into a human form wearing different clothes. "Unless you don't want me to see you…you know…"

"It doesn't bother me. But I'd stand back if I were you." Valtier waited until Lileina had scooted away and onto the hill before he began his transformation.

As he began to glow, Lileina could see his armor start to fall away and disappear into the growing light, and his mostly naked form was revealed. Lileina, blushing, did her very best to keep her eyes above waist level, but as his hair escaped the ponytail and blew around his shoulders, the light that surrounded him grew brighter until only the vague shape of the man she knew was visible. A moment later, the shape sprouted a pair of huge wings that were such a dark shade of blue that they seemed black, and Lileina watched in a sort of awe as her beloved Valtier disappeared completely into a blinding sphere of light. Raising a hand, she shielded her eyes for a moment as the light was too much to stand. When she opened her eyes again, a huge blue-black dragon was sitting placidly in the place Valtier had occupied, looking at her with a pair of bright golden eyes as if requesting her approval.

The Dragon part of Lileina's self seemed to awaken, and her human form blushed brightly as her eyes fell over every part of his Dragon's form. This was the first time she had ever seen an Ancient, and although there were some small differences in the way he looked compared to her Gold Dragon form they looked basically the same. For some reason, she was amazed by this because she had been taught that the Ancients were so different from them. But as she looked at him, she felt a part of herself straining, as if it were trying to break free.

She wanted to transform, to sit beside him in the flowers and lay her head on his as she had seen other dragons do when they were happy, but before she could, Valtier's form began to shrink and fold back into the human she recognized. This time, Lileina didn't even think about his naked body because she was too busy trying to silence whatever it was in herself that was calling to her. 

When the light had disappeared again and Valtier was standing back in his place wearing the clothes she was used to seeing him in, Lileina leapt up and ran over to him, hugging him tightly as she nearly knocked him to the ground. Smiling, Valtier returned her embrace as he tried to hold back a laugh.

"Can I assume that you are pleased?"

"Very much so!" Against his chest, Lileina couldn't stop smiling. "You're so handsome…human or dragon." The longer she held him, the more the urge to transform faded back into her heart, and she hugged him until she was sure that she would be able to control herself. Finally separating herself from his arms, Lileina laughed a little. "I guess we aren't so different after all."

"So when do I get to see you transform?"

"Valtier!"

"Just kidding." Offering her his arm, Valtier smiled at the shocked look on her face. "Come on, let's go see your friend." Lileina gave him a wary look as she took his arm and squeezed it a little.

"Yes, let's."


	4. Afternoon

"Afternoon"

Before Lileina knew it, the cleansing ceremony was upon them once again, and she was pleased that Sorian had been chosen to be the one who led the ceremony. Not caring a bit that she hadn't been picked, Lileina was thrilled for her friend. It had been more than a month since she had met Valtier, and as the days passed it seemed as if everything else was beginning to matter less and less.

Of course, this preoccupation with outside matters hadn't stopped the elders from choosing Lileina to be the second in line, and choosing Rinoa to be the next to last as always. This annoyed her terribly, and she glared at Lileina and Sorian as they stood near the sacred fountain, giggling about something. Rinoa tried to make it look as if she wasn't really staring at the girls, and as she leaned on the wall their happiness began to irritate her to no end.

Lileina and Sorian, however, were too busy talking to notice her. Smiling secretively, Lileina pulled a small brooch from the deep pockets of her robe and showed it to Sorian, who cocked her head and seemed to ask something of her friend. Suddenly, Rinoa was very curious.

The gong sounded as usual, and Sorian bowed her head as the girls got into line. Lileina quickly slipped the brooch back into her pocket and followed her friend's lead. They passed the sacred fountain and filled their dippers as they had every month since entering the sanctuary, and as Lileina poured her water over the statue and knelt beside Sorian to pray, she couldn't help thinking that although she had been a part of this ceremony many times, this was the first time something was truly different. Something inside her had changed.

This moon she was thanking the Fire Dragon Lord for sending her Valtier, and thereby assuring her that he did exist. Although she had been taught that what she was doing was wrong, that Gold Dragons and Ancient Dragons were never supposed to associate with one another, especially now with the tension that was growing between them, she didn't feel that she was doing anything wrong. Even though she knew that the penalty would be severe if she was found out, she believed that the Fire Dragon Lord wouldn't have brought them together if it wasn't meant to be. Perhaps he never meant for the Ancient Dragons and the Gold Dragons to be separated, perhaps it was just years of misunderstandings that had brought them to this stage.

So involved in thinking about the great plan of the Fire Dragon Lord and about the ever-deepening relationship between herself and Valtier that she didn't realize that Sorian was already standing up to lead the mikos out of the sanctuary. Gently, Sorian poked her friend in the leg with the toe of her slipper to get her attention, and Lileina jumped up, startled. Blushing brightly, she stood up and followed Sorian out of the sanctuary with her head bowed almost onto her chest. The other mikos tittered at her sudden clumsiness, and Sorian grinned as they stood outside.

"That must have been _some_ prayer. You looked awfully intense," she teased, knowing exactly what Lileina had been thinking about. Very little escaped Sorian, and Lileina ducked her head.

"Quiet, Sorian."

"Keep praying like that and maybe they'll put a little statue of you up in the sanctuary." Being the true friend that she was, Sorian refused to cease her teasing of Lileina, and as the other mikos walked past them into the dining hall, Rinoa made a face behind their backs.

"Saint Lileina, just what we need," she grumbled to herself, forever annoyed by the sight of Lileina's face. But as she passed closer to the pair, she heard Sorian whispering to her friend.

"And how fares Master Valtier today?"

"Sorian, hush!" Her eyes wide, Lileina hustled Sorian off to someplace private so they could talk, and Rinoa leaned on a nearby wall, almost unable to believe what she was hearing. Miss Perfect Miko, having a secret lover? This was suddenly very interesting to Rinoa as she walked slowly to the dining hall, wondering how she could find out more about this new development. Just who _was_ this Valtier, anyhow?

* * *

In the record hall of the City of the Ancients, Artemis was flipping through stacks of dust-covered books, searching for something that the elders has asked him to find about the ancient weapon. Aside from the chief elder and a few of the higher level elders, Artemis was the only one who knew anything about the current situation with the demands of the Gold Dragons. They had asked him to keep it secret from the other Ancients, and while he felt rather proud at finally having something important to do, it was making him a little nervous. Behind him, the door creaked open, and Artemis turned around to see Valtier leaning in the doorway.

"Good evening, Valtier. What brings you in here?" Standing up, Artemis dusted off his hands and smiled knowingly at his friend. "I hear from Raen that you've been trading shifts with the other sentinels to go meet some woman. Could this be love?"

"No, this could be the reason I never tell you anything." Turning his face away from Artemis, Valtier brushed his hair from his face. His armor made a little clatter on the door sill and Artemis shook his head.

"How can you stand being so touchy all the time?"

"What are you talking about?" Going over to the book where the ancient books lay open, Valtier turned his head to get a better look at what was in them. "The five ancient weapons?" Straightening up, he gave Artemis a look. "I was looking for you. We were going to get dinner after my shift, remember?"

"Sorry. Something came up." Shutting the book hurriedly, Artemis sent a cloud of dust swirling through the room. Valtier raised an eyebrow at him querulously as Artemis laughed nervously. "You still hungry?"

"Of course."

"Let's go, then. I can't work any more tonight. The dust is making my eyes hurt." Stacking the books on the table, Artemis led Valtier through the door and locked it before heading down the stairs and to the tavern that was near the hall of records.

The tavern was crowded and noisy as always, filled with what appeared to be men and women who were eating and drinking as they talked. Most of the dragons in the City of Ancients were at such high levels that they simply kept their human forms at all time, and so to a stranger who might accidentally wander into the city, it seemed like any other in the world. 

Valtier and Artemis wound their way through the crowded tavern and sat at a table by the wall, while Artemis continued to rub his eye. There was a bit of dust trapped under his lid and it was bothering him. Still, he smiled over at Valtier.

"So, who is she?"

"We aren't talking about me." Suddenly acting as if he was very interested in a spot of dust the books of the record hall had left on his armor, Valtier rubbed at it as Artemis leaned over the table and spoke in a very low voice.

"It is very unhealthy for one to keep one's emotions bottled up. One might even go a little insane one day, although I doubt anyone would notice it in you." Artemis narrowed his eyes and Valtier held up a hand in resignation. It annoyed him to no end when his friend started talking like this, but he had learned that the only way to make him stop was to do whatever he wanted.

"All right, all right. But you have to swear on all your precious record books that you will not repeat what I tell you to anyone, not even your weird little bird." Leaning over the table himself until he was eye to eye with Artemis, Valtier made it clear that he was not joking. "Do you?"

"Come on, Valtier, we've known each other since we were hatchlings. You know you can trust me." 

"Do you swear?"

"All right… I swear on the sacred library that I won't tell anyone whatever you tell me, not even Morpheus. Happy?" Artemis' eyes were exactly the same shade of gold as Valtier's, and they stared at one another for a long moment before Valtier settled back into his chair and nodded as the beer was brought to their table.

"Very well." Folding his arms, Valtier smiled and picked up his beer. "Her name is Lileina, and she is without a doubt the most wonderful creature I have ever met. It's true, I've been switching shifts so I can go see her every day in the Wakeful forest." Taking a drink, he looked over at Artemis, who was frowning a little.

"That all? What's so secret about that?" Artemis sipped his own beer and looked over at Valtier. "She's not a human, is she?" His words surprised Valtier, who swallowed a huge gulp of beer the wrong way and started coughing. Sitting up straight, Artemis sat his drink down on the table and gave his friend an intense, wide-eyed look. "Valtier… You're not saying that she…"

"She's not a human," Valtier managed between coughs as he pounded on his chest. "Lileina is a dragon."

"Then why…"

"Because," Valtier said, lowering his voice and leaning a little closer to Artemis. "…she's a Gold Dragon."

"A _WHAT_?" Artemis sat up so quickly that he nearly toppled backwards in his chair. No one seemed to notice, since it was getting late and most of the tavern's patrons were at the point of no pain. As he righted himself, Artemis stared at Valtier, who was calmly drinking his beer.

"You heard me."

"B-but, Valtier…how could you…you know they hate us! It's…" 

"It's fine, Artemis. Lileina is different from the other Gold Dragons. I don't believe that she has the capacity to hate anyone, or anything for that matter. She's so gentle and most of the time she's fairly shy…but she's always happy. And she makes me happy. Isn't that really all that matters?" There was a silence as Artemis looked blankly at his friend, who to his knowledge had never talked about a woman like this. Trying to lighten Artemis' mood, Valtier smiled. "She's a miko in the Fire Dragon Lord's sanctuary. I thought you'd have a good laugh over _that_."

"Huh?" Snapping out of his daze, Artemis tried to force a little bit of a laugh. "Yes…I thought you didn't like mikos…" He tried to think of some way to tease Valtier, and by the time the food was brought to them, the conversation had turned to the usual things and Valtier's startling admission had taken a place at the back of Artemis' mind.

Still, he couldn't help thinking about the elders and how they had asked him to look up the information on the ancient weapons because of the Gold Dragons' demands that they turn the weapon they possessed over to them.

If Hellmaster was gathering power to start a war of some kind, it could not bode well for the future of the Dragon races. Artemis supposed that this was why the Gold Dragons were so nervous, and there was no telling what they might do. The Ancients had no particular dislike for the Gold Dragons, the elders were only interested in keeping the weapon safe. But the Gold Dragons saw it as a threat, and their feelings about the Ancients were less than charitable.

It wasn't hard to believe that this Lileina that Valtier was so enamored of was a gentle person, and Artemis did believe that it was possible for one Gold Dragon out of an entire race to be able to see past decades of jealousy and pride, but still he worried. Though Valtier couldn't understand his fear because he didn't have all the information that the elders had given him, Artemis was afraid that Lileina might actually be in danger if their relationship was found out.

Trying his best not to think about this, Artemis laughed and joked with his friend as if nothing was wrong while they finished their beer and dinner. But he couldn't shake the gnawing feeling at the back of his mind that something very bad was going to happen.

* * *

Humming lightly, Lileina tied a rope around the branch of the sturdiest tree she could find, then stood back to admire her handiwork. Using a little wooden pole and some rope she had scavenged from Karal, she had managed to construct a nice little swing and hang it from one of her favorite trees. Now that her experiment had been successful, Lileina was rather proud of herself as she sat down on the seat to test it out. Once she was sure it would hold up, she began weaving a little of the ivy that hung down from the trees into the rope to make it into a pretty little swing.

Behind the trees, Valtier was watching her carefully decorate and test her new toy. He didn't want to interrupt her, she looked so happy at that moment. The more he watched her, though, the more he had to smile. She really was cute.

A very small blue bird came along to examine the ivy and flowers that Lileina had made a part of her swing, then landed right near her tree. Noticing it as soon as it landed, Lileina turned towards it pleasantly. Smiling brightly at the bird, she reached one hand out to it, still holding on to the rope. The tiny bird looked up at her with its bright black eyes, and she giggled a little.

"Hello, little dear," she said softly, motioning to the bird with her fingertips. "Come on, I won't hurt you." Obliging, the bird hopped over and perched on her palm peacefully. "Isn't it a nice day?"

"Peep," the bird replied, nuzzling her thumb gently with its head, and Lileina looked up into the sky.

"Yes, I think so too." They regarded each other for a moment before Lileina sighed gently. "Do you have someone you love, little one?" Gently pushing off the ground with her toes, Lileina swung very slowly back and forth as the bird nodded.

"Peep."

"Isn't it lovely?" Her eyes were a little dreamy now, and Valtier suddenly felt himself blushing. Was she somehow telling the bird that she was in love? With him? Stepping out from behind the trees, Valtier moved closer to her and smiled as if nothing was different.

"Hello…Lileina?" He spoke softly, hoping not to frighten the bird in her hand. Both she and the tiny creature looked over to him, and the bird blinked at Lileina.

"Peep?" In response, Lileina nodded with a tiny laugh, and the bird flew away with a sort of smile on its face as Lileina turned to Valtier.

"Hello, Valtier! Look at my swing!" She was grinning brightly, and Valtier laughed a little as he came closer to her.

"It is a wonderful swing." Leaning over, he gave her a casual kiss on the forehead, then walked around behind her. "Here, I'll give you a push." He pressed his hands lightly against her back and smiled at her. "Ready?" Lileina gripped the rope tightly and nodded, and Valtier gave her a gentle push that sent her into the air. Laughing, Lileina stuck out her legs and looked back at Valtier, who was smiling at her gently.

"Higher, Valtier, higher!" She laughed a little more as he pushed her a little harder, sending her soaring ever higher into the air. Her blue and white dress fluttered against her boots as she kicked out her legs to make her go higher, and Lileina threw her head back so that her braids were flying out like a flag with the rest of her hair. This moment, this perfect flying moment was like no other as she heard Valtier laughing behind her and felt the brief warmth of his hands on her back. More than anything, she wanted it never to end.

Once Lileina had tired of swinging, Valtier had suggested that it might be nice to walk back to Karal and get some box lunches and take them to the field of flowers to have a sort of picnic, since it was such a pretty day. Lileina thought this was a great idea, and they took the path that cut through the forest in a kind of shortcut. It led them through a rather dense part of the forest that Lileina was unused to traversing, and she held Valtier's arm tightly. Deciding that there was no time like the present, she looked up at him, her voice a little nervous.

"So…um, Valtier…" Pulling on her braid, Lileina tried to smile without her pink cheeks giving away her feelings completely.

"What is it, Lileina dear?" As calmly as ever, he looked over into her eyes with a smile. This only made her more nervous than she already was, and she tugged at her braid over and over.

"How would you say you feel…in regards to um…ah, me…?" Blushing to the tips of her ears, Lileina kept her eyes on his face, determined not to look away. It was a relief to her that his cheeks were turning a few shades of pink as well, and he cleared his throat loudly.

"I…would say…I, uh…I like you a great deal…" The words tumbled out rather unevenly, and Lileina shook her head slowly.

"N-no…I mean…"

"Lileina…I think I know…what you mean…" Stopping in the middle of the path, Valtier took her hands in his and held them to his chest as he gazed at her face. "And… I have been thinking a great deal…"

"So…do you?" Now unable to take her eyes away from his face, Lileina bit her lip a little harder than she had intended. Looking considerably more nervous than she had ever seen him, Valtier cleared his throat again as he looked at her.

"As I said…I have been thinking about it a great deal…and I…" Suddenly, he stopped and looked around the forest, his eyes flashing from tree to tree with the speed of a deer. Knowing that something was wrong, Lileina frowned as she squeezed his hands.

"What is it?"

"Someone…" Valtier said, releasing her hands gently, and turning around to look past the trees. "Is watching us." Cursing softly to himself, Valtier wished he had a sword or some sort of weapon. Though he couldn't tell exactly what it was, there was a threat somewhere nearby. In response to his fears, Lileina shivered.

"I…I feel it."

"What?" Moving closer to Lileina, Valtier kept his eyes on the trees.

"Evil…" she whispered, reaching out to take his arm. Just as she did, a pair of large men stepped out of the bushes and moved towards them. Both men had swords, and neither looked like they wanted to talk. Suddenly terrified by the wave of evil that she felt emanating from the men, Lileina squeezed his arm harder. "Valtier!"

"Don't worry," he said softly, not even realizing that he was talking to her in the Dragon language. He pulled her to his chest with one arm as he spoke softly to her with words that somehow comforted her very soul. "I won't let them near you."

"Well, what have we got here…" The larger of the two men advanced on them, and looked them over. "A couple of foreigners, sounds like. And a very pretty little lady."

"Stay the hell away from her," Valtier growled, his voice low and angry as he returned to speaking the human language. "Or I will tear your head off."

"Oh, will you now?" The man seemed surprised that Valtier spoke their language, and he motioned to a third member of their group who came up behind Valtier and hit him across the back of the neck before he could see it coming.

"…nngh…" The force of the blow sent Valtier falling to his knees, and although the man didn't know it, he had managed to strike his target in the worst possible place; a nerve bundle that Dragons possessed at the base of their neck. Stars danced before his eyes as he fell onto his face and blanked out for a few moments. 

"Valtier!" Horrified by this sudden display of violence, Lileina started to fall to her knees beside Valtier. Before she could, however, one of the men grabbed her by the arms and yanked her upwards, twisting her around so they could keep her arms pinned behind her back.

"Oh yeah, she _is_ a pretty one. And look at the pretty jewels she's wearing…this brooch will no doubt bring us some gold pieces." Grabbing the precious brooch Valtier had given her, the man yanked it sharply, ripping her dress in the process. It was at the very moment that he tore her dress that Valtier regained consciousness, and looked up to see Lileina completely helpless in the hands of the bandits.

"No!" Struggling, she shrieked at the men, who laughed as they held her arms harder. She knew that if she moved too hard, her arms would break, and she began to cry softly as she dropped her head onto her chest. "No…" From his place on the ground, Valtier felt a rage building in his chest, but for some reason he couldn't move. His entire body was tingling, and he continued to struggle against it to stand up. 

"Maybe we should see if she's any good," one of the men was saying, lifting her chin with one grubby hand as he laughed. Tears streamed from Lileina's dazed eyes as she looked away from them, and with her head raised, Valtier could see that the front of her white dress was completely ruined, exposing her pure white skin to the curves of her breasts. Outraged, he fought against the numbness that was threatening his senses. How dare they touch her? How _dare_ they even look at her…?

"Leave her alone!!" Somehow finding the strength to pull himself off the ground, Valtier lunged at the man who was touching Lileina's face. Catching them by surprise, he managed to knock his shoulder into the one holding her brooch. He released the piece of jewelry, and Valtier snatched it from the air before turning on the other two.

Immediately, they threw Lileina aside and she fell to the ground, holding her hands over her exposed chest. Still crying, she stared into her lap as her blonde hair fell into her face, having long since fallen out of its braids. How could they touch her like that? She had wanted Valtier to be…the only one…

Fire blazing in his eyes, Valtier rushed at one of the men and received the blade of a sword through his shoulder as he did. The pain barely registered as he turned on the man and punched him hard enough to demolish his nose. The man fell down, releasing his sword, and Valtier scooped it up without missing a beat. He was using his full strength now, and though he hadn't been in a battle in over a year, he still managed to remember everything he needed to repay the bandits for their treatment of Lileina. As angry as he was, he could hardly concentrate on the actual fighting because he was so worried about her, and his distraction resulted in more than one slice of the enemy's dagger on his skin. Still, he seemed not to feel the pain as he continued to swing the weapon at the two conscious bandits.

Finally, he was able to do enough damage to knock the second man down, and headed for the leader of the group. Unfortunately, he had underestimated the resilience of the man whose nose he had smashed, and this same man came back up to slice Valtier across the side with his fallen comrade's sword. In an instant, he noticed the white hot burst of pain as the blade sank deep into his side, and he turned to face the noseless man with gleaming eyes. This pain was too much to ignore, but Valtier could only hope that nothing too vital was cut as he advanced on the man. No matter how hard he tried to keep his mind on the fight, however, the burning sensation traveling up his side was more than he could bear.

Something inside him snapped as Valtier gave a cry that was somewhere between a roar and a scream, and a pair of midnight colored wings burst from his back, ripping the fabric of his clothes to pieces as it did. His eyes glowed golden as he turned on the men, what was left of his shirt and vest falling to the ground with the sword as he threw it down. Blood ran down his injured side, but he seemed not to notice it as his partial transformation into dragon form caused a certain amount of instinct to take over. Needless to say, the bandits were intimidated.

"Holy shit!" The leader was backing away from the half-transformed Valtier, and his sudden exclamation snapped Lileina from her daze. She looked up, unable to completely comprehend what she was seeing.

__

What…Valtier? What's going on…wings? Blood? No…he's hurt…

In a flash, the rest of the battle was over. Valtier turned to Lileina, his eyes seeming blank as he stumbled towards her. Half-walking, half-dragging himself, he made it to where she was sitting and fell to his knees before her, holding a hand to his bleeding side as he seemed to come back to himself.

"Valtier!" Forgetting her ruined dress, Lileina leaned down to cradle his face in her hands. "Oh, no…what did they…"

"Lil…eina…?" His voice was hoarse as he tried his best to smile at her. "You're…crying…" Gently, Lileina reached down and wiped away a trickle of blood that ran down his chin. "F-forgive me. I…let them hurt you…"

"It's okay, Valtier…please, just be okay…I'll take care of you, just…oh…" Kissing his forehead lightly, she shook her head and wracked her brain for a place she could take him. There wasn't much time, she knew she had to heal him quickly, but she couldn't do it there…more bandits could be around. While she was trying to think straight, Valtier reached one shaking hand up to touch Lileina's face.

"Don't…don't cry, Lileina…" Managing a smile, he looked up at her as his eyes began to close. "I…I love…" His words trailed away as his head dropped heavily onto her lap, and Lileina shook her head in horror as she watched his magnificent wings melt back into his skin, leaving only a few feathers as a memory.

"_VALTIER!!!_"

* * *

Darkness surrounded Valtier as he slowly began to regain consciousness, and no matter where he looked, it seemed like another wall of darkness was erected before his eyes. It was then that he realized that he was unable to open his eyes. This in itself was frightening, but more curious was the fact that somewhere in the darkness, something hurt. _Everything_ hurt. But beyond the pain he could hear voices, dragon voices, speaking softly nearby.

"He looks pretty bad off."

"Yes…I'm very worried about him. It's okay that I brought him here, isn't it?" This voice sounded like Lileina's, and the knowledge that she was somewhere near him was comforting.

"Of course, dear. My wife is doing her best to repair your lovely dress, and I'm sure that one of my sons has something that will fit him." But who did this voice belong to? Wife? Sons? Valtier decided it must be a human, but a human who could speak dragon language?

"Thank you. I really appreciate…" Lileina's voice was fading as Valtier felt himself falling back into darkness. He tried to catch one last whisper of her voice in case he never heard it again, but was unable to do so as he parted once more with consciousness.

When he awoke again, Valtier immediately looked around for Lileina. The very fact that he was alive seemed not to matter as much as seeing her face, and as always she was by his side. Only now she was asleep in the chair that sat beside his bed, resting her head on her folded arms at the edge of the bed. Her hair was pulled away from her face in a thick braid, and she was dressed in a thin nightdress that looked too big for her. Lileina looked so peaceful and lovely at that moment that Valtier couldn't control the sudden urge to reach over and touch her. He had to make sure she was real.

No sooner had his fingertips brushed her face than Lileina's eyes fluttered open and gazed up at him. Realizing that he was okay, her eyes lit up for a moment before overflowing with tears.

"Oh, Valtier…you're awake…" Her smile shone even through her tears, and Valtier rubbed them away from her cheeks as he gave her a weak smile. "I'm so glad."

"I wouldn't die quite that easily," he said, looking around at the room he had been placed in. "You brought me here?"

"Yes. I didn't know where else to go." Placing a hand on the side of his face, she shook her head. "You were so hurt…"

"Where exactly _is_ here?" Looking around the room gave him no more clues to their whereabouts, and a draft came through the room, giving him pause. Frowning, Valtier lifted up the covers, then looked back at Lileina. "And where are my pants?"

"We're in Karal, in the village elder's house. His wife undressed you so she could clean the blood from your pants." Blushing suddenly, Lileina shifted her eyes away from him. "I…I promise I didn't look."

"I'm not concerned," he said, almost laughing at how shy she could suddenly become. Raising an arm, Valtier nodded at the swarm of bandages that had seemingly attacked his arms and torso. "Did you put all these bandages on me?"

"Actually, yes. You were…bleeding so much. And I didn't really know what to do, and I was so scared…" Dropping her head so he wouldn't see her crying, Lileina tried rather unsuccessfully to hold back her tears. One shoulder of the nightgown that had been lent to her slipped off her shoulder, and she tried as best she could to pull it up and wipe the tears away before Valtier saw them, but nothing escaped his watchful eyes. Concerned, he leaned closer to her.

"Lileina…don't cry…I'm just fine. Just as long as you're near me, I'm fine."

"But it's my fault that you were hurt," she said, her head still bowed to the covers. "Because I always want to walk in the forest…if something had happened to you, I…" Her words were cut off sharply as Valtier reached over and pulled her, quite suddenly, onto the bed and held her to his chest in an embrace that caught her completely off guard. There were no words between them for several moments, only the warmth of his skin against hers as his arms encircled her slender form in an attempt to tell her what he didn't quite know how to say. A few strands of his long, bluish-green hair fell loose on his shoulders and over her body as he held her tightly, and Lileina curled up in his arms as close to his warmth as she could without sitting on his lap. The sudden fear of losing one another that they had realized in the forest seemed to fall away as time froze in the bedroom. Lileina couldn't hear anything but his heart beating, or feel anything but the dragon's strength hidden deep within the arms of his human form as she closed her eyes and tried to melt into him. "Valtier…"

"My precious Lileina…I could never just stand by and watch anyone hurt you. I would give my life to protect you. You do know that, don't you?" His voice was no more than a whisper against her hair, and she nodded a little against his bandaged chest. "Don't ever go away from me…"

"Well, I see you've regained consciousness at last!" A man's voice from the doorway started both of them, and Lileina leapt back into her chair as Valtier slid back under the covers. Both were blushing crimson, and the old man laughed so hard he had to hold the door frame for support. "Please, don't stop on my account!" Shaking his head, he took a pair of pants over to the dresser and lay them down. "I remember being young…and meeting Elaine for the first time…"

"Elder? Y-you're back so soon from the council?" Still blushing, Lileina straightened the nightgown, which had fallen again from her shoulders.

"We hadn't left yet." Looking to Valtier, he smiled. "There's a special meeting tonight to discuss those bandits you two ran afoul of. We had received warning of a group wandering this area, but don't know if there are more than you came across." Raising an eyebrow, he smiled. "You certainly took care of them, son."

"Forgive me," Valtier said, straightening up. He was fairly certain that humans didn't just go around dispatching bandits with their bare hands, and wasn't sure what the elder was going to make of it. "But the way they were treating Lileina…" Catching himself, he shook his head. "Lady Lily, I mean…"

"Lileina told me all about it already," the elder said, still smiling. "I suppose it is a sort of protective instinct for you. But still, I never thought the day would come when I would be host to an Ancient Dragon and a Gold Dragon in the same day." Something clicked in Valtier's mind, and he looked up at the elder.

"So you were the one I heard talking to Lileina before! You speak the dragon language?" This seemed beyond Valtier's comprehension, and Lileina nodded.

"Yes, he's the only one in Karal who knows I'm a dragon…and now that you're one as well, I suppose." She smiled up at the elder, who nodded pleasantly back at her. "It's okay if we stay the night, isn't it? It has already begun to grow dark, and I don't know if I have the strength to fly right now."

"Of course you may stay. You know you're always welcome here, and so is Valtier." Coming further into the room and placing a hand on Lileina's head, he smiled down at her before addressing Valtier. "We were never lucky enough to have a daughter of our own, so both Elaine and I think of her as one of our own. She's such a good, thoughtful girl, anyone would be glad to have her." This made Lileina blush, and she went over to the dresser to pick up the pants for Valtier.

"Those pants belonged to Michael, our youngest son. They should be a good enough fit for now, or at least until Elaine finishes cleaning your pants," he said, smiling at Valtier. Turning to Lileina, he smiled gently. "I'm sorry we couldn't find you something better to wear, dear, but I don't think Elaine was ever quite your size."

"Oh, I don't mind. And I really appreciate her trying to fix my dress." Yawning a little, Lileina blushed. "I'm sorry…"

"Don't apologize, dear. I'm sure that spell must have worn you out." Crossing back over to the door, he shook his head. "It's lucky you were studying it."

"Yes," she said softly, hugging the pants to her chest as she tried not to think of what would have happened if she had been any more lax in studying her magic. "But I think I'll be fine after I rest. Do you have a room for me to sleep in?"

"Do you not want to sleep here? I thought for sure you'd want to be near him, that's why I had you bring him into the room with the larger bed." The elder looked back and forth between Lileina and Valtier, who both seemed to be blushing and trying to look away from one another. "Is something wrong?"

"Elder…we've…I mean, we haven't ever…" Turning redder as she spoke, Lileina tugged at the shoulder of the oversized nightgown. 

"I wasn't suggesting you had. But after what you went through in the forest, I was almost certain that you both would want to be near each other. However, I can ask Elaine to fix Michael's bed for you if you would prefer." The elder watched Lileina carefully as she wandered back towards the bed where Valtier lay.

"W-well…" Looking over at him, she remembered how Valtier had asked her not to leave him just before the elder walked in. The memory of his warmth surrounding her raced back into her body as she looked at the pants in her arms, and Lileina nodded. "You're right…I want to be here."

"Very well. Elaine and I are going to be at the Great Hall if you need anything. We may be gone a long while, especially if the men want to search the forest, so please make yourself at home, Lileina dear. Will you two be okay?" A small smile came over his face, and Lileina nodded as she followed him to the hall.

"Yes, thank you. I don't know how we can repay your kindness." She smiled brightly, and the elder shook his head.

"There's no need for that. You just rest, and take good care of him. We'll see you when we return, if it's not too late." The elder patter Lileina's shoulder, then walked off down the hall as she shut the door and turned slowly back to Valtier. 

"So…um…"

"Could I have those pants?" Pointing at the gray-colored pair of trousers in Lileina's arms, Valtier tried to get a smile out of her. Lileina looked terribly nervous as she walked over and handed them over, then sat in the chair. "Thanks. It's a little drafty in here."

"Mm-hm." Turning her face away from him while he changed, Lileina bit her lip and tried not to think of what was under the covers. She couldn't figure out why she was so embarrassed about this. It wasn't the first time they had been alone together…in the woods, they were always alone. Just…

"Lileina?" 

…not like this…

"Yes?" She couldn't help wanting to crawl back up onto the bed with him so he could put his arms around her again and be close to her…so close… She wanted to hear his voice asking her to stay with him and telling her…

"Come sit by me." It was more like a question than a request, and Lileina crawled up onto the bed, trying not to step on the edge of her nightgown. Her bare feet were cold, and she pulled them up under the white fabric of the gown as she sat near him and inspected the bandage on his shoulder. "So it was your magic that saved me…"

"It was the first time I ever tried that spell," Lileina said, patting the bandage gently. "The elder was right, it did make me a little tired. But you were so badly hurt…I really thought that if I didn't do something you might die."

"To tell you the truth, I don't know too much about magic." Valtier shrugged as he looked over at her. "What kind of spell was it?"

"A white magic spell called Resurrection that requires a pretty high level. To learn it, you have to be a priest or priestess to one of the gods. Most dragons…well, Gold Dragons I mean, can do white magic, but usually only really high level white mages and dragons can perform Resurrection. I didn't know if it would work…but you were too weak to try a Recovery spell and I had to try…" Lileina brushed the back of her hand over his cheek. "…I had to try something…"

"No wonder you're tired." Valtier took her hand and kissed its palm gently. "Sometimes I wonder how a creature like you can exist."

"What make you say that?" Curling her fingers around his hand, Lileina cocked her head slightly at Valtier. "I'm just like any other Gold Dragon."

"No. You're different, Lileina. No other Gold Dragon would give all her energy to save an Ancient. But you…not only would you give everything to save me, you would do the same for anyone in need of help." Leaning his head onto hers, Valtier smiled. "That's what makes you so special." Blushing, Lileina looked into her lap.

"But…I'm not so special." 

"You are. Of course you can't see it…truly good people never can see just how special they really are. But I can. And I do," Valtier said, gently turning her face towards his with a smile. "Back in the woods, you asked me how I felt about you. What happened didn't change how I feel, only made it stronger…"

"Valtier…" Closing her eyes, Lileina felt her face turning pink as he lightly brushed his thumb over her lips.

"You're so lovely," he said softly, gazing at her face. Her hair was pulled away from her shoulders in the braid, and her jewelry, including her circlet, lay on the dresser. "No decorations, no gems…" Tilting her face upwards, Valtier moved closer until their faces were less than an inch apart, almost touching, close enough for Lileina to feel his breath on her lips as he whispered to her. "…only you…" Touching his lips softly to hers, Valtier closed his eyes and hoped that Lileina wouldn't pull away. Much to his relief, she replied by pressing her body closer to his as she tried to make the kiss last as long as possible. As they parted, Valtier put his arms around her and held her to his chest as he sighed softly. "Lileina…I love you."

"You…you do?" Lileina's voice was sleepy, and he looked down at her.

"Of course I do. You are the most precious thing in my world, and I want you to be near me forever." Kissing her forehead, he smiled tenderly at her. "It doesn't matter what anyone else says or thinks…if you want me to, I'll protect you for all time."

"Valtier…" Putting her arms around his chest, Lileina pressed her cheek to the warmth of the flesh that the bandages left exposed. "All I have ever wanted was someone like you, who was able to see everything about me and still care for me. Now, I don't ever want to let you go." Closing her eyes, Lileina began to feel ever more drowsy as she breathed in the scent of Valtier's skin, surrounded by his warmth from all angles. The effects of using such a strong spell on her magic energy were taking their toll, and Valtier noticed that she was beginning to fall asleep right in his arms. "I think that I have always loved you, even before I met you. Does that make sense?"

"It does now," he said softly, pulling the covers over her body as he blew out the candle that was on the night table. Holding her gently in his arms, Valtier watched Lileina's face grow ever softer as she fell asleep against his chest. "It does now."


	5. Dusk

"Dusk"

Just before dawn, Lileina woke with a start, her entire body feeling terribly cold. But as she began to fully regain consciousness, she realized that Valtier's arms were still around her, holding her gently. At once, she relaxed. They were still in Karal, and still together, much to her relief. 

Sitting up a little, Lileina gazed down at Valtier, laying on his back against the whiteness of the sheets and pillows that covered the bed in the elder's house. His hair was strewn all around, giving him a sort of wild look, despite the fact that he was completely peaceful at the moment. Nevertheless, in Lileina's eyes he had never looked more handsome, and she leaned over slowly to kiss his lips ever so lightly.

"Wha…Lileina?" Groggily, Valtier opened his eyes and looked up at the figure who was smiling down at him. With her long, light colored hair in a braid over her bare shoulders and her face lit up by the last hours of moonlight, she looked more like an angel than anything he had ever seen, and it took him a moment to realize that it was Lileina who was stroking his cheek softly. Blinking his still-tired eyes a few times, he yawned. "Is something wrong?"

"No…I just…" The bits of a dream that were in Lileina's mind while she was watching over Valtier only a moment earlier immediately faded, and she frowned as she tried her best to bring them back. "I don't know. It must have been a dream…but I just had a sudden urge to look at you." Snuggling back under the covers and against Valtier's body, Lileina still tried to remember the dream as she put an arm around him and smiled. She was afraid that if she looked too troubled, he might get worried. "Valtier?"

"Mm?" It sounded as if he were already going back to sleep, something Lileina didn't blame him an ounce for.

"I never really thanked you for saving me. Earlier, I mean." A few strands of his long hair were under her hand, and she played with them thoughtfully as Valtier wrapped his arms around her, closing his eyes as he did.

"No need."

"I wish I knew a way to repay you for helping me, and for everything else you've given me." Lileina was talking more to herself than Valtier, and he smiled from somewhere in his exhaustion.

"Just…be close to me, forever. That's more than…" His voice trailing off into sleep, Valtier's smile remained on his lips as Lileina gently kissed the side of his chest, where a spot of bare skin was visible.

"You don't have to worry about that… If there is a way, I'll find it."

The sunlight streaming through the open window woke Valtier first, and he checked the seemingly tiny figure in his arms to see if she was awake yet. Still fast asleep, Lileina was curled up beside him as if she were still in her egg, a smile on her face. Valtier wondered for a moment what she was dreaming of.

Although he had no idea what time it was, Valtier thought that returning to the City of Ancients could wait a bit longer. The feeling of Lileina's soft skin and silken hair on his arms and chest, her warm breath, and the tiny smile on her lips were all incredibly precious to him, and he wanted to look at her a few minutes longer to try and memorize every detail of the perfect moment she seemed to be caught in, like all the others that seemed to fly by all too fast when they were together. He had spent his entire life in a place where everything seemed to be plotted out by destiny, and yet he had never felt a happiness, a _completeness_ like he did when he looked at the gentle curves of Lileina's face, illuminated by the morning sunlight. If only he could wake up beside her like this every day. If only…

"Valtier?" While he was thinking about this, Lileina's eyes had come open and were looking up at him, a little bewildered.

"Good morning to you, my love," he said, kissing her forehead lightly. "It seemed like you were having a nice dream, and I didn't want to wake you."

"I don't remember," Lileina answered, smiling peacefully. It was nice to be someone's love. "But waking up here is better than any dream." As she embraced him tightly, the door opened a crack and the kind, slightly plump face of the elder's wife popped into view. Seeing that the two guests were awake, Elaine laughed softly.

"Finally! We wondered whether you two would ever wake!" Walking briskly into the room, she placed a pile of clothes containing Lileina's dress and Valtier's pants onto the chair beside the bed. "Here we are, nice and clean." Holding up a scrap of blue fabric, she smiled at Valtier. "This was in the pocket of your pants, so I just cleaned it up with the rest of the clothes." Laying it on the chair, she gazed out the window. "Lucky you didn't lose it out there."

"Thank you," Valtier said, sitting up. He tried not to laugh at Lileina, who was hugging a pillow to her chest, still afraid that her gown would slide down too far and embarrass everyone in the room.

"Yes, thank you," she murmured, clutching her pillow as if it were a talisman.

"I expect you're both hungry," Elaine said, turning towards the door. "Come on downstairs when you've finished changing and have some lunch. I've made some tasty roast chicken and vegetables." Smiling, she left the room and closed the door as Valtier yawned a little.

"Roast chicken sounds great." He ran a hand through his long hair as he got out of bed, leaving Lileina and the pillow to their own devices. Glancing at the flurry of bandages that still covered him, Valtier smiled. "Guess these can come off."

"Yes, you should actually have been all healed last night. If you come over here, I can snip them off for you…" Before she had time to complete her sentence, Valtier was already unwinding the bandages. "Or you can take them off…"

"I know you're still afraid that gown is going to fall off. Here," he said, dropping one long bandage over the edge of the bed frame. "I'll turn around while I do this and you can change into your dress."

"Th-thank you…" Blushing, Lileina took her dress from the chair and stood up. Making sure Valtier's back was turned, she unbuttoned the too-large nightgown and let it fall around her feet, then pulled her own dress over her head. The mending job Elaine had managed was terrific, and Lileina admired it as she picked up the brooch she had spent a great deal of time cleaning the night before and pinned it onto her dress to hide the new stitches a little better. While her back was still turned, Valtier pulled on his pants and began to roll up the bandages. 

"Finished?" 

"Yes, thank you." Turning back around, Lileina sat on the bed and leaned forward to pick up her boots. Valtier's brown pair were sitting beside her light lavender ones near the night table, and Lileina smiled pleasantly. Men had such large feet. Looking back up, she noticed Valtier twisting his hair into a thick ponytail. She hadn't really noticed much the night before, since she had been so busy taking care of him and so worried about his condition. But now, in the light that fell through the window, Lileina's wide blue eyes moved slowly over his strong, nicely muscled chest and stomach, which made her think things that caused her to blush.

"Are you hungry?" Valtier's words finally registered in Lileina's head, and she realized she was sitting on the edge of the bed holding one boot and staring at him. "Lileina?" To his surprise, she fairly leapt across the room and hugged him tightly.

"Yes, very." His now bare skin was warm against her cheek, and she suddenly realized something as she looked up at him. "Wait…did she… did she say _lunch_?"

* * *

After eating large amounts of Elaine's roast chicken and accepting a clean shirt for Valtier from Michael's closet, Lileina and Valtier went back to the field of flowers to return to their homes.

"They'll be worried about me," Lileina murmured, holding Valtier's hands. "Especially Sorian. But I will come back tomorrow."

"I'll wait here for you," Valtier said, drawing her to his chest for one last embrace before they had to go their separate ways. "And I'll miss seeing your face when I wake up tomorrow morning."

"As will I." Blushing a little, Lileina spread her arms. "I suppose I can transform here, if you don't mind."

"Good idea," agreed Valtier, smiling. "I've seen Gold Dragons before, but not your form." This only caused his companion to blush even more, and they began their transformations at the same time, standing almost back to back. 

From within the twin spheres of light that encircled them appeared a pair of Dragons that at first would have seem rather ill-suited for one another's company. The larger of the two was a deep midnight blue with a rather fierce face and sharp claws, and it turned to look at the creature behind it with bright golden eyes. Sitting in the flowers and sniffing a blossom was a much smaller golden Dragon with wide blue eyes. In comparison, the Gold Dragon looked much more sedate, with no claws and a number of silky-looking scales on its body in place of the dark-colored feathers that covered the wings of the Ancient Dragon.

Despite the differences in their appearances, the two dragons moved closer to one another and inspected each other with fascinated eyes for a few moments before the larger of the two, Valtier, leaned his head down and lovingly nuzzled the head of the smaller Lileina. Pleased that he found her Dragon form attractive, Lileina made a small purring sound deep in her throat as she rubbed her head against his neck.

Nodding at the sky, Valtier began flapping his enormous wings and rising into the air, with Lileina following his lead until they were both airborne, soaring side by side over the trees, dipping beneath one another playfully over the forest for a while before parting for their respective homes.

In his back yard, the village elder of Karal looked up into the sky just in time to see the two dragons fly over his house and away into the distance together. Smiling as he shielded his eyes and ignored Michael's questions about where his favorite shirt had disappeared to, the elder sighed. The Ancient Dragons and the Gold Dragons had been torn apart for so long, over nothing more than foolish pride. Perhaps these two young ones were the ones who could bring the two races back together before tragedy occurred between them. 

Walking back into the house and continuing to ignore Michael, as well as Elaine's requests for him to go get some vegetables for the stew she was working on, the elder wondered if he wasn't hoping too much.

* * *

"Sorian! Sorian!" Lileina ran into the small sitting room on the very topmost floor of the sanctuary and looked around. She knew Sorian had to be in there somewhere, the sun shone just the right way through the stained glass to inspire her friend to paint new and beautiful pictures, and she always seemed to be hidden away in her 'private studio' when Lileina was looking for her. Just as expected, Sorian was standing in her favorite spot by the window, staring at a glaringly empty canvas. Upon hearing Lileina's voice, she turned, her eyes filled with worry.

"Lileina! Where have you been?" Dropping her brush and hugging Lileina tightly, Sorian looked as if she might burst into tears at any moment. "I was so worried…I looked everywhere for you!"

"Are the elders very mad?"

"No, I covered your duties and told them you were…unwell." Pulling Lileina over to a corner of the already deserted sitting room, Sorian dropped her voice as she gave her friend a close look. "Does this have anything to do with…"

"As a matter of fact, it does." Quickly, Lileina told Sorian about all that had happened the day before, playing up Valtier's heroic efforts to save her from the bandits as she did so. Wide-eyed, Sorian listened to every word, pressing a hand to her chest as Lileina described how she had tried Resurrection for the first time. "So, you see I couldn't just leave him there…I wouldn't…"

"Yes, I understand completely. But you gave me such a fright!" Motioning to her empty canvas, Sorian shook her head. "I haven't been able to paint a thing."

"I'm sorry. May I watch you? I really enjoy seeing how you make those beautiful things come to life on your canvas…" Going over to the easel, Lileina picked up the dropped brush and handed it to her friend. 

"Of course you may. I don't see how it can be very interesting, though." Sorian picked up her paints and looked thoughtfully at the canvas, hoping a picture would come to her. Lileina smiled at her as she stretched a little.

"I have always wanted to paint as you do…I suppose I thought that if I watch you long enough, the knowledge will come to me as well."

"Have you never tried?" Picking up what looked like a number of short pieces of paper bound together loosely, Sorian put down her palette and went over to Lileina's seat in one of the maroon colored wing chairs of the sitting room, then put the notebook onto her lap. "Would you like to give it a try?"

"Oh, I doubt I could…" Uncertainly, Lileina looked at the paper as she bit her lip. It was true she had never tried drawing, but she had never thought of it as a thing she could do. The only talents she had discovered were reading and keeping her patience at odd times. Other things, like pottery, music and sewing…she was absolutely clumsy at those things, and drawing seemed even more delicate.

"You will never know unless you try. Go ahead, I won't laugh at your first try." Pressing a pencil into her friend's hand, Sorian gave her an encouraging smile. "You'll do fine, I just know it."

"But…I don't even know where to start…" Trying to find an excuse not to humiliate herself, Lileina stared at the pencil as if it were a foreign object, but Sorian shook her head, not to be dissuaded.

"Just close your eyes and think of something you really like. That's always a good first try. You love flowers, why not try that?" Opening the sketch book for Lileina, she smiled. "Here. Just try…you might surprise yourself."

"Oh…okay…" Lileina stared down at the page blankly for a few moments, then closed her eyes. What was she supposed to be thinking of? Flowers? Sorian always drew nature pictures, maybe she should just try a tree or something at first. Just before she was about to give up on her mind as well as the drawing, an image of Valtier popped into her mind. Lileina almost laughed out loud. A portrait? Her very first drawing, and the first thing she thought of was a portrait? Figuring this was about as likely as rain in the Ruined desert, she pressed her pencil to the paper and sighed. "Here goes nothing…" Taking a deep breath, Lileina started to move the pencil and immediately heard a snap. With a laugh, Sorian handed her another pencil from within her apron.

"Don't press so hard."

"Th-thanks…" Trying to remember the look on Valtier's face when he had smiled at her for the first time, Lileina began to move the pencil around on the paper in what she decided were rather vague shapes. Much to her amazement, the more she worked at it, the more the pencil seemed to be moving in exactly the right places. The sketch of Valtier smiling his usual cocky smile was so clear in her head that the lines on the page began to take shape even faster than she had ever dreamed. After what seemed like an eternity, Sorian wiped her hands and looked over Lileina's shoulder to see how her friend was doing with her picture.

"Let's see how you…" Gasping softly, Sorian looked at Lileina in amazement. 

"What?" 

"Lileina, that's _wonderful_! And here you said you didn't know how to draw…you've had lessons before, haven't you?" Putting a hand on her shoulder, Sorian beamed proudly at her friend. "Clumsy, indeed!"

"Really, I haven't drawn a thing before today. Except magical diagrams, but they really don't count." Gazing down at the piece of paper, Lileina found herself smiling gently at the face that looked up at her. "I just did what you told me…I thought of something I really like."

"This is amazing, I've never known anyone to be able to just sit down and draw like that." Wiping her hands again, Sorian sat on the chair's arm and looked at the picture a little more. "That's him, isn't it?"

"Mm." Running her fingers over the sketch as if it were a precious document, Lileina nodded slowly, remembering the first time he had given her his smile, before he even knew anything about her. And the way his arms had felt around her in the night…

"You were right, he _is _handsome." The room was quiet as Lileina nodded again and Sorian sighed a little. There was only one thing that could make her shy sister have that look in her eyes. "You really do love him, don't you?"

"Mm."

* * *

Valtier was laying on the bed in his room thinking about how nice it had been to fly for a little while with Lileina when Artemis burst through the door, looking extremely rattled. His gold eyes searched the room, resting only once they had found what they were searching for.

"_There_ you are! Damn, you had me worried!"

"Oh, Artemis….you really _do_ care." Scratching his head as he sat up, Valtier smiled. "What's wrong with you?"

"You were gone all yesterday! And most of today! That's what's wrong!" 

"Why are you yelling? I'm right here." Standing up, Valtier stretched his arms as he looked over at his friend. Artemis did not look amused in the least.

"Aleris covered for you, but only because I asked him to…" This made Artemis look ever more uncomfortable, and Valtier supposed he knew why. Aleris could be considered Artemis' brother in that they were raised by the same dragon after Artemis' egg had been found abandoned near the Ruined desert by Aleris' mother. Though it was normal for dragons to lay only one egg at a time over greatly spaced intervals, she had decided that if the egg hatched, so much the better. And it had hatched, yielding one slightly smallish Ancient Dragon, a trait that Artemis carried into adulthood. As a result, he and Aleris had a strange relationship wherein Aleris loved to torment and protect his 'little brother' while Artemis secretly admired his 'big brother' the sentinel. "And you wouldn't believe what he threatened to do to me if I didn't tell him where you were…"

"He'll live." Pulling on a shirt that matched the one he had ruined in the forest almost exactly, Valtier nodded towards the city. "Dinner?"

"Is that all you ever think about? Where the hell were you, anyway?" This was the first time Valtier had ever seen Artemis so forceful, and he frowned a little.

"Are you sure you're feeling well?" As he looked a little closer, he realized that Artemis was looking a bit thinner than usual. "You look tired."

"I'm fine," he replied shortly. "Just…tell me you were with her?" Relief surged over Artemis as Valtier recounted the tale of the bandits and Lileina's selfless heroism in performing a spell that drained her to save his life as well as explaining that they had stayed at the elder's house that night. Artemis sighed inwardly with relief as he told himself that he had been worried for nothing, that it was a pack of human bandits that the pair had run afoul of, not a guard of angry Gold Dragons. They had not taken the latest refusal by the Ancient Dragons to turn over the weapon very well, and he hated to think what would happen if Lileina had been followed from the Fire Dragon Lord's sanctuary. Sighing softly, he smiled. "At least you're both okay."

"Of course we're okay. Why wouldn't we be?" Picking up some money, Valtier headed for the door. "Let's eat. I haven't had a thing since we left the human village…"

"Sure." Weakly, Artemis followed his friend into the hallway and out into the street, wishing that he could find a way to explain to Valtier what was really on his mind.

* * *

The hours seemed to drag on as Lileina went about her duties in the sanctuary, and as she walked along the hallway, sweeping away the dirt that the elders and mikos had tracked in, she tried to think about meeting Valtier in the hopes that it would help pass the time. 

A sound of footsteps interrupted her thoughts, and she turned to see who was coming. Pausing to greet whoever it might be, Lileina prepared to bow and smile until she saw that it was Drassi, heading towards her rather purposefully. Deciding that she had swept enough, Lileina thought maybe she would head for Karal early. Maybe he hadn't seen that it was her…

"Lileina!" Drassi's voice rang through the empty hallway, and she cringed a little. Too late. Now she would have to talk to him.

"Good day to you, Drassi," she grumbled quickly, trying to act as if she had somewhere else to be. He stepped in front of her, and Lileina gripped her broomstick tightly. "And how are you this morning?"

"I am well, and you?"

"I cannot complain." Still trying to avoid him, Lileina tried to scoot around him. Unfortunately, Drassi was an immovable obstacle. 

"I am pleased to hear that. How would you like to have lunch with me? These floors look plenty clean, you could take off a little early. We could even go to one of those human villages you like so much." There was more than a hint of disdain in his voice, and Lileina shook her head.

"No, thank you. I'm very busy." Once again, she tried to step around him. This time, however, Drassi grabbed her arm so tightly that she almost cried out. 

"Why must you keep avoiding me? All I wish is for us to become closer," he said softly as his fingers dug into her arm hard enough to make her eyes water. Suddenly a little frightened, Lileina tried to pull away.

"Stop it, Drassi! You're hurting me!"

"You shouldn't fight it, my dear…we're meant to be together, don't you see? You should just accept it and let me make you my mate." His eyes were strangely bright, and a surge of anger flooded Lileina's chest.

"Let you _make_ me your mate? In case you failed to notice, I have the choice to become the mate of whomever I like. And I will _never_ let anyone make me do anything I don't want, nor will I be forced to become anyone's possession, least of all yours." Breaking away while he looked a little stunned, Lileina turned around and started down the hall, eager to get as far away from the sanctuary as possible. Before she was able to get very far, however, Drassi grabbed her shoulder roughly and spun her back towards him, pinning her against the wall.

"Choice? What better choice is there than I?" He seemed not to notice that Lileina was struggling to break his grip, and smiled widely as he leaned towards her. "I'm sure I can make you change your mind…"

"Leave me---" Silenced by the sudden motion of Drassi's lips pressing against hers hard enough to leave a bruise, Lileina froze in place as her eyes widened. What was he… Images of the men grabbing her in the forest came back to her all at once, and Lileina squeezed her eyes shut, determined not to let him see her cry. Her stomach turned as she felt him begin to press his body against hers, and she began struggling once more. _Stop it…stop…help me, Valtier…_ The image of Valtier that came into her mind, his arms outstretched towards her, gave her a strength she never knew she possessed and she brought her knee upwards as hard as she could into Drassi's most sensitive region. Immediately, he released Lileina's shoulders with a howl of pain and indignation, followed by a flood of words that she had heard some of the workmen in Karal say before during painful occasions. 

Wasting no time, Lileina ran down the hall towards the inner sanctuary. As she disappeared, Drassi looked up through watering eyes and cursed ever more loudly. His outburst of anger attracted the attention of another miko who had just happened to be wandering nearby.

"I saw it all," Rinoa said sympathetically, shaking her head as she walked over to where he was leaning on the wall. "She really should learn some respect."

"I don't care what it takes," Drassi said, ignoring Rinoa as he looked down the hall. "She's going to be my mate."

"Perhaps that is a matter best taken up with Lileina and her _lover_," said Rinoa, leaning knowingly against the wall. Drassi's eyes shifted towards her as the words registered in his head. Rinoa smiled cruelly. _Now_ she had his attention.

* * *

_I feel so…sick…_

Resting her head on one of the large rocks beside the stream that gently trickled through the forest, Lileina continued to cry softly into her hands as she closed her eyes. Although she had washed out her mouth over and over, she could still taste Drassi's kiss on her lips, and it made her feel sick all over again. Another feeling arose as she played the whole horrible moment over in her mind, and though she knew she shouldn't, Lileina felt completely ashamed. She didn't want him to kiss her, not in the least, there was only one person she wanted to ever approach her in that way…the one person she felt she just couldn't face at that moment.

Afraid to stay in the sanctuary but too embarrassed to meet Valtier in the field of flowers or show her face in Karal, Lileina had gone as deep into the forest as she dared and sank down by the stream's edge. She wanted to hide from every world she had ever known, hide until everyone and everything had forgotten her…forgotten that she even existed…forever. 

But despite the fact that she wanted to hide from even herself, Lileina couldn't help wishing that Valtier was there. It would be so easy and so wonderful to just fall into his arms and cry onto his chest until she couldn't cry anymore, knowing that he would hold her gently and maybe kiss her forehead and tell her that everything would be all right. And as long as he was there with her, everything would seem like it was all right. She would be safe…no one, and nothing could harm her. Yes…she wanted him there. Even if she was too ashamed to look him in the eyes.

"Lileina!?" Out of breath, as if he had been running, Valtier spoke her name from somewhere behind her, and Lileina curled herself into a ball on the ground. Suddenly, she was embarrassed all over again.

__

No…I don't want him to see me like this…

"By Cephied, what's happened?" Hearing him speak the name of the Great Flare Dragon she knew he must be terribly worried about her, but Lileina refused to move. Hurrying to her side, Valtier fell to his knees next to her and carefully gathered her into his arms. "What's wrong? Are you hurt?" There was no answer, and Valtier pressed his head lovingly against hers the way he had when they were in their dragon forms. "Just say something, my darling one…" Finally giving in to the warmth he offered, Lileina curled herself into a ball on his lap.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, keeping her head down. "I feel as if…as if I have betrayed you."

"Betrayed me? How?" His voice was gentle as he brushed her bangs away from her forehead. "You don't have the capacity to betray anyone."

"But…I have…" Lileina's voice dropped to no more than a whisper as she explained to him what had happened. "I was in the sanctuary sweeping, and Drassi…he kissed me." Pressing her head against his chest, Lileina shook her head. "He…tried to touch me. It was so awful…he just wouldn't let go."

"Oh, Lileina…" Rage built within Valtier's chest at the thought of another creature daring to hurt Lileina in this way, but he suppressed it, knowing that she needed his love at that moment, not his anger. Rocking her back and forth a little, he kissed her hair. "You've done nothing wrong. It was him, not you…"

"Then why…why do I feel so dirty?" Closing her eyes, Lileina continued to cry softly, making Valtier want to pull off Drassi's arms on sight. She was so gentle, so sweet that she wasn't suited for this type of indignation upon her person. Searching for the right words to comfort her, Valtier continued to hold her as tightly as he could.

"My dearest Lileina…you're not in the least dirty. You're just as precious and pure as the moment we met, and you can't let him make you feel that you're any less than that. No matter what he says, no matter what he does, you will always be precious to me. And I will _always _love you. No matter what." Stroking her hair as he spoke, Valtier heard Lileina's tears beginning to subside, and he shook his head. "My love…I hate that he's done this to you. I wish I could protect you from him, burst into the Fire Dragon Lord's sanctuary with my armor and sword and tell him to keep his filthy hands off you, but I can't. All I can do is hold you here in my arms, and tell you that I love you and that I will be yours, no matter what…and wish that it were enough to heal your heart."

"You're…mine?" Lileina couldn't quite comprehend the meaning of this, and Valtier nodded, smiling at her.

"My heart, my spirit…everything of my being belongs to you, if you desire it. Anything you ask, I will do my very best to accomplish. If you wanted the stars, I would fly up and catch them for you, just to see you smile once more." Tears forgotten, Lileina blinked up at him, blankly.

"You…you would?"

"Of course I would. Lileina, I love you…your smile is more precious to me than a mountain of Taria stones." As he spoke, he kissed the gems on her forehead. "It may sound unbelievable to you right now, but…"

"No, I believe you." Her voice so soft that Valtier could barely hear it, Lileina interrupted him with a small smile. "And I understand, because…because I would give my own life to protect yours. Since I can remember, I was raised in the sanctuary by the elders to be quiet and reserved, to hide my real feelings behind a smile. I suppose they meant well, but there's something different about the way I've seen mothers…dragon mothers and human mothers…care for their young ones. That's how one learns to love, I suppose. But I never really understood more than affection, or friendship. Now…I feel as if I understand what it is to love…because I love you."

"Lileina…" The forest was silent, save for the burbling of the stream in the background. Valtier wasn't sure what he should say, or if he should say anything at all. Lileina was quiet, resting in his arms as she gazed at the glittering water that flowed into the trees, and he smiled. "Did your tears make this little stream?"

"Valtier…" she said, her smile becoming brighter as she shook her head. "Say, how did you find me here? I mean, I wasn't in the field where we promised to meet…"

"I'm not sure myself. I was worried about you when you didn't come to the field, so I just closed my eyes and listened to the forest like you do…and I thought I could hear you crying. After that I just started running towards that sound. I was a bit surprised to find you here, I'll admit that." The leaves on the trees rustled softly, and Valtier looked into the sky. "I suppose I just followed a feeling."

"Hmm." Leaning back on his chest, Lileina thought she felt something odd beneath her head, and she sat up. "What's that?"

"What?" Frowning, Valtier reached down and patted the spot Lileina was pointing at. "Oh, that's right. I brought back the elder's shirt. I thought I should return it to him. After all, he was so kind to lend it to me." Pulling the shirt from within his vest, Valtier lay it on a nearby rock. "When I was running to find you, I tucked it into my shirt so I wouldn't lose it."

"That's a good idea," replied Lileina softly. "Do you want to return it now?" She was glad to see him shake his head, having grown comfortable on his lap. 

"Not yet. I'd rather sit here…just a bit longer." Putting his arms back around her, Valtier smiled peacefully as Lileina closed her eyes.

"Oh…okay."

* * *

"You're sure we can't persuade you kids to have a little more stew?" Elaine was following Valtier and Lileina out the door as they tried to make their getaway back to the forest. Trying his best to be tactful, Valtier smiled broadly at her.

"Couldn't eat another bite, really!"

"For goodness' sake, Elaine, they just came in to return Michael's shirt and you've managed to keep them until nightfall!" The elder's voice rang from inside the house, and Lileina tried not to laugh as she covered her mouth with her hand.

"Thank you for dinner! We must be going now, but I promise we'll visit again soon!" Waving at Elaine, Lileina smiled brightly as Valtier looked into the sky.

"It has already gotten dark…will you be able to get home safely? I can fly with you just until you reach the edge of the Ruined desert, but after that…" He didn't finish the sentence but Lileina knew what he meant. 

"I'll be fine by myself, but…" A flash of Drassi's face appeared before her eyes, and Lileina felt a little sick. "But I don't want to go home just yet!" A smile spread over her face as she looked into the sky, then grabbed Valtier's hand. "Follow me."

"Where are we going?" Laughing at the way Lileina was nearly dragging him towards the hill, Valtier let her pull him until they were on the very top of the highest hill that overlooked the flowering field and most of the forest.

"Here…look up at sky!" Pointing upwards into the heavens, Lileina's eyes shone brightly. "Isn't it beautiful?"

"It's…amazing." Tilting his head back to look into the sky, Valtier was astounded by the number of stars that seemed to surround them, glittering like diamonds in the black and blue sky. Beside him, Lileina clasped her hands over her breast.

"So many stars…the sum of all our lives, our hopes and our dreams…all there in the sky, shining down on us." Her eyes scanned the sky, trying to gather all the stars at once. Something glittered through the heavens, and Lileina pointed at it. "Ah! Look, a shooting star!"

"Yes, there's another one," he said, pointing to a different spot in the sky. "And, look, there goes another… it seems like they're raining around us."

"Quick, make a wish!" Closing her eyes, Lileina tried to think of the one thing she wanted most of all, that would be special enough to wish for on a night like this. Before she was even finished, she felt a pair of strong arms encircling her from behind, pulling her close to his body. Lifting her chin up to look at him, Lileina was surprised by the kiss that found its way onto her bruised lips, gentle enough to avoid hurting her, but strong enough for her to understand how much he loved her. It was nothing like before…in the sanctuary. As if he and Drassi were from completely different species… Almost laughing to herself, Lileina remembered that they were. "Valtier…"

"What did you wish for?" His voice was low as he spoke right beside her ear, and Lileina found herself blushing.

"I can't tell you that…it might not come true." Gently, she rubbed her head against his arm and relaxed her body as she smiled up at him. "How about you? What was your wish?"

"I wished that I could be near you like this forever." Kissing the side of her face, Valtier smiled down at her. "But I do hope it comes true, even though I told you."

"Mm…" Enjoying the feeling of the night breeze on her face, and of his kiss on her lips, Lileina put her arms around his. "Do you think it will?"

"Of course I do." Valtier looked up into the sky, where hundreds of shooting stars were still dancing across the sky. Tightening his arms around Lileina, he smiled. "We'll find a way to make it come true."

"Valtier…you were wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"You _do_ have the power to heal my heart."


	6. Evening

"Evening"

"Thankfully, the council seems to be making some headway in our relations with the Ancient Dragons regarding the weapon…" The elders' voices droned on and on as Lileina held her water jug on her lap and listened to the all-too-familiar discussions that were taking place around the room. "Meanwhile, the Dimos Dragons are showing great interest in discussions of magic-sharing…"

Bored, Lileina touched the brooch she had pinned to her miko's robes with an inward smile. It wouldn't be too much longer until she would be free of the meeting and able to go meet with Valtier. He had told her the day before that he had a great surprise for her while they were walking in Karal. Lileina was looking forward more to sitting in the sun and reading a book of poetry aloud to Valtier, who was ever fascinated by the fact that there were so many similarities between the human and dragon worlds.

Only about a week had passed since the shower of stars, and as far as she was concerned, as boring as council might be at that time, any place with more than one elder in the vicinity was safe from Drassi. She had taken to walking with Sorian everywhere, and with other mikos or elders if they were going to same way in the sanctuary, and Valtier told her this made him feel better, since he couldn't be there.

Of course, Sorian's righteous anger alone had rivaled Valtier's when Lileina had finally whispered the reason why she was jumping at the least sound, and she had insisted that they either tell one of the elders or the captain of the guard about his inappropriate behavior, seeing as how mikos were supposed to be considered sacred and untouchable without their consent. True to her character, though, Lileina was afraid that this would only make Drassi come after her in anger as well, and refused over and over to let Sorian tell anyone. Instead, she played upon Sorian's sisterly instinct and asked her to walk with her wherever she went in case Drassi showed up, like a bodyguard. 

Although Sorian was not in the least satisfied, she agreed but still insisted that they should track Drassi down and yell at him a little. Once again, Lileina refused, and Sorian had no choice but respect her friend's wishes. Lileina, on the other hand, wanted to forget all about it for the rest of her life and spend her time thinking about much more important things. But for the moment…

"In other important news, the cleansing ceremony will be upon us once again before we realize it, and as you know we will be holding a special session to decide on which one of our lovely young mikos is the right lady to---"

"Elders!" The one who was speaking was interrupted by a slam as the doors burst open at the back of the council hall and one of the young guards ran into the middle of the hall, out of breath. All at once, the other elders jumped up to look at him. Lileina recognized him as Terais, one of the guards that was supposed to be stationed at the settlement at Dragons' Peak. What could he be doing back at the sanctuary? "F-forgive my interruption, elders, but I bring news! Terrible news!"

"Calm down, Terais, there is no intrusion." The chief elder stood up and smiled at the golden-haired young man to calm the others, and he paused to catch his breath. Reflexively, Lileina stood up and poured him a glass of water as she walked over to the center of the room.

"Here, Terais. Drink this, you'll feel a bit better."

"Thank you, my lady." Gratefully, he took the glass and drank its contents in one gulp. As Lileina refilled it, the elders decided he was fit for questioning.

"Tell us, what is this news you bring?" Beckoning him closer to the head of the council hall, the elders murmured among one another while Lileina went back to her seat at the rear of the room. She too was concerned, as she had never seen Terais act like this. He was usually so quiet and reserved, the most level-headed guard she knew.

"There's been an attack…the dragons of Dragons' Peak were attacked last night by a group of high-level demons." Shaking his head, Terais seemed to be fighting back tears as he spoke again. "We were unprepared for such a sudden attack. About two hundred dragons were killed, maybe more." Again, he paused, and Lileina felt her fingers clench around the water jug's handle as she waited for him to compose himself. How could this have happened? All around the room, the men who sat on the council began to speak softly amongst themselves, trying to make sense of what he had just said. Terais spoke through his emotion as he stood straight and looked at the chief elder. "About half that number were Gold Dragons from our settlement." The buzz that had been building in the room became a wave of voices, indistinguishable from one another as they began to speak at once. Lileina bowed her head quickly, praying that this was not true, that Terais had gotten his numbers mixed up. But somehow, she knew that it couldn't be so.

"This is an outrage!"

"…specifically violates section 537 of our treaty…"

"I knew we couldn't trust Hellmaster to be up to anything good…"

"We need that weapon!"

"The council should have sent a battalion to the Peak…"

"Everyone, calm yourselves!" The chief elder was standing at the front of the room, his arms raised, trying to keep some semblance of order in the room. "This is a terrible thing to have happened to us, but we cannot allow ourselves to lose control at a time like this. Our guards are perfectly capable of protecting our sanctuary, and they will be stationed around the outer doors at all times." This seemed to quiet the fears of some of the elders, and they began to calm down a little as he continued to speak to Terais. "Now, tell me. Have you heard news from any of the other Dragons' guards concerning their plans?"

"Yes, great one. The White Dragons, Dimos Dragons and Ancient Dragons have all agreed that they will send a battalion of their finest warriors to Dragons' Peak to battle the demons that remain, as well as offer protection to the Dragons who still live." The sadness had all but disappeared from Terais' eyes, only to be replaced with a look of complete determination. The chief elder nodded.

"Very well, then please send word that the Gold Dragons will also be sending a battalion to Dragons' Peak." Right away, one of the other elders began scribbling something on a roll of parchment, and the others began talking among themselves again. In the back of the room, however, Lileina was hugging her water jug tightly in an attempt to keep herself from trembling. No matter what she tried, she couldn't stop shaking, and couldn't stop a flood of terrible images from racing through her mind.

__

No…they wouldn't send him there…to die in battle with some unspeakable demon…they can't…no, all I can see is…is blood…

"Lileina, dear? What seems to be the matter?" One of the oldest of the council members named Jeian put a hand on her shoulder gently, startling her. The water jug crashed onto the floor, sending water cascading over the tiles as she pressed her hands to either side of her head, trying to make the images go away.

"It's too dangerous! He'll be killed!" Her eyes were wide but somehow unseeing as she looked around the room, and the elders stood up to go to her side at once. Caiphas was the closest to her besides Jeian, but as he spoke to her she seemed to comprehend even less of what he was saying.

"They understood when they became soldiers that a day like this might come…" Lileina could only hear part of what he was saying, but she shook her head and covered her ears in an attempt to shut out his voice.

"No! I won't accept it!" Still covering her ears, Lileina ran out of the council hall, her white robes making her look a bit like a fleeing dove. Speechless, the elders stared after her, unable to believe that this was really the miko they thought they knew so well. Caiphas wondered what could possibly be bothering her so much…she had never seemed to be this high-strung before.

* * *

At the very moment the water pitcher smashed on the floor of the council hall, Valtier felt a stab of pain in his chest, just under his heart. Reaching over to press his palm to the offending spot, he frowned slightly. Aleris looked over at him, his attention captured by the sudden movement of his guard partner.

"Something wrong?"

"No…it's more of a really bad feeling about something…something very important." At once his mind turned to Lileina, and he looked over to Aleris, who was smiling knowingly.

"Or some_one_…"

"I'll kill your little brother later. For now, can you cover me here?"

"You know we're supposed to keep two men on the Dome at all times now because of the attack on Dragons' Peak." Ever concerned with obeying the rules, Aleris looked upset as Valtier waved it off.

"Don't worry about it, I'll be back before they even miss me. Besides, our shift ends soon. You'll be fine without me." Turning a deaf ear to the rest of Aleris' protests, Valtier hurried down the street as another sharp pain caught him just under the ribs. He hoped this didn't mean there was something wrong with Lileina. Something at the back of his mind told him that it would be a good idea to head to the field where they always met, just in case something _was_ wrong. Still, he hoped beyond hope that he would find her safe, then broke into a run…just in case she wasn't.

* * *

_I must get to the field…I know he'll be there, I just know…he wouldn't leave me without at least saying…goodbye…_

Before Lileina's eyes, a rainbow of bright colors spread out like a blanket over the valley as she ran mechanically towards the one place she knew she was safe, her miko robes billowing behind her in the wind, as her mind kept repeating the same words over and over…she had to get to the field. Her clothes, the council, nothing mattered but knowing whether or not Valtier was safe. Lileina's mind was so busy trying to get her to the field and her vision so blurred with tears that she didn't see Valtier running towards her from the other side.

As a pair of arms closed around her, the realization that he was there and unharmed hit her solidly in the chest and she felt her knees buckle. Valtier caught her, holding her gently to his chest as she began to cry loudly with relief against his armor. As strange as it might have seemed to any onlooker for a miko of the Gold Dragons and a sentinel of the Ancient Dragons to be embracing in a field, at that moment it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to both of them.

"It's okay, Lileina…I'm here. Don't cry, it's okay…" Trying to comfort her and steer clear of the large spikes on her headpiece at the same time was no easy task, but Valtier somehow managed to hold her close to his body and murmur soothing words to Lileina as she slowly began to calm down. "Now, tell me what's wrong."

"Council…I…t-they said…Dragons' Peak…Hellmaster…"

"Take a deep breath," he said, patting her back encouragingly as Lileina continued to spit out random words. She took a breath slowly, then tried once more to explain to him why she was upset.

"Terais, one of our guards, said that the White Dragons and the Dimos Dragons and the Ancient Dragons would be sending a battalion to Dragons' Peak to fight the demons…I was afraid that you would be…I…Valtier, I don't want to lose you." Finally, she was able to get the words out, and Valtier stroked her hair softly.

"You won't lose me. Not ever."

"But the demons…they…are so strong, and we cannot fight them properly…"

"I'm not even going to Dragons' Peak," Valtier said, interrupting her carefully. "Aleris put in a good word for me to stay at the Dome, who knows what he told them, but in any case, I'll be just as close to you as I always am. Even if it's not as close as we'd like to be."

"But…if they ordered you to go…"

"Then I would leave." Kissing the top of Lileina's head, he smiled. "Don't you see? I'd rather give up my post as a sentinel than be so far from you, even for a short while." Hugging her tighter as he felt her arms encircle his chest, Valtier shook his head. "It hurts me so to see you cry, my dearest. With all that is happening in our world right now, I know there is very little I can say to ease your mind. But I promise that after this war is over we won't be separated again."

"What do you mean?" Looking up at Valtier, Lileina frowned a little. He had joked once about giving it all up and running away to live in Karal, but he couldn't possibly be thinking…

"This is what I mean." Backing away a little from Lileina, he pulled something from within his armor. "Here. I was hoping to give it to you with a little more ceremony, but this seems like the perfect time." Lying in his open palm was a plain golden ring, similar to the ones Lileina had seen many times before on human women who were married. Clearing his throat a little, Valtier smiled. "It's…ah…the same kind the elder's wife had. I hope…I hope you like it."

"I…I don't know what to say…" Once again, Lileina found that she was shaking, but now for a different reason. She looked from the ring to Valtier, who was a little pink around the cheeks. "You…you do know why she had a ring like this…don't you?"

"I figured the elder gave it to her." Glancing at Lileina's face, he couldn't tell what she was thinking, and cleared his throat again. "Is…something wrong with it?"

"Valtier…humans exchange rings like this one when they are married." There was a strange look on his face, and she blushed. "It's a fancy human word for…becoming someone's mate. Surely…"

"Then I was right to get this ring." Taking her hand, his gentle smile returned. "If you don't want it, I will return it. Perhaps I was a bit…"

"No, I…" Blushing even more as she tried to decide what she was supposed to say, Lileina snuck a glance up at his face. It was completely serious, save for the smile that seemed to always be on his lips, and she tried to figure out what he meant. Was he saying that he wanted her to be his mate? "Valtier, what…what does this mean?"

"Exactly what you think it means." With a small sigh, he lifted her face up with his free hand so he could look into her eyes. "Lileina, I have loved you since the moment we met. No one has ever made me feel as happy and as…as _alive_ as you have in the short time I have known you. I want to be near you, to feel the way I do now, for all of my life. Words…aren't enough to explain it. But I want you to be with me…forever. If you don't feel the same, just tell me…but if you do…" Unable to finish what he was saying, Valtier looked deeply into her eyes. Just as before, they were overflowing with beads of crystal, but somehow now she looked happy as she nodded through her tears.

"Of course I do…" She was barely able to speak the few words she managed, and found that it was even harder to catch her breath as he gently slipped the ring onto her finger. Its slight weight felt both strange and wonderful on her finger as Lileina pressed her hands to her chest, soundlessly.

"My Lileina…the thought of being beside you forever makes everything seem like heaven. Even guard duty." Hugging her tightly so that she couldn't see, Valtier smiled with relief. Part of him had been terrified that no matter how much she loved him, she would still decide that she didn't want to be his mate. The warmth of her arms as she returned his embrace told him that he needn't have worried, and Lileina tried to push back her tears. 

"Do you have to leave so soon?" Afraid to let him go, she tightened her arms around his chest. Shaking his head, Valtier looked up at the sky where a group of gray clouds were forming over the field. He hadn't noticed them on his way in because he was so worried about Lileina, but now they were looking more like a threat. 

"Of course now. But we really should go to Karal, or someplace with a roof at least. Those clouds look as if they could burst." He nodded into the sky, and Lileina looked up just in time for a fat droplet of rain to hit her on the nose. "I spoke just in time," Valtier said, wiping her nose as he laughed. "We should hurry."

"We can't go like this," Lileina said, motioning to their clothes. Realizing that she was right, Valtier took a few steps away from her as she began to change. Quickly, they both changed to suitable outfits and hurried towards the gate of the city that stood at the end of the long path as the rain began to fall harder. Reaching the gate, they started through it as if it was any other day, but were stopped by a pair of armed sentries that appeared between the sheets of rain. 

"Halt!"

"Where do you think you're going?" One of the guards advanced on Lileina, and Valtier stepped in front of her as she frowned through her wet bangs.

"Timothy? Is that you?" As she came closer to the young man, she realized that he was indeed the youngest son of the village elder, and stepped out from behind Valtier. "What are you doing out here?"

"Lady Lily! Forgive me…I didn't realize it was you!" Motioning to the other guard to back off, he took Lileina's arm and started with her down the main street. "It's lucky you came by here! Father wanted to see you right away if you came into town!"

"Why?" Sharing a look with Valtier, she looked at Timothy. "Is something wrong here in the town?"

"Yes, there was an attack here last night. But I believe Father wanted to talk to you more about it. He's been terribly worried about you, and about Lord Val." Leading them to the house, Timothy took them up the stairs and opened the front door. "Father? Mother? You've a pair of guests in the hallway!"

"Guests? Who in their right mind would be out on a day like…" Wiping her hands on a cloth, Elaine came down the stairs, shaking her head. The moment she saw Valtier and Lileina dripping in the doorway, she gasped softly. "Oh my dears, just look at you! You're soaked to the skin!" Hurrying down to them, she rushed them up the stairs as Timothy went back to his post. "Get up here, come on, I'll put some dry clothes on you."

"But Timothy said that the elder…"

"Jacob went into the village a few hours ago. He'll be back before too long, but for now I have to get you two dried off and get some soup in you." Not bothering to ask if they wanted any soup, Elaine hurried them upstairs, not taking no for an answer, mumbling under her breath as she continued to shake her head. "Going to catch your deaths running around the forest in the rain…you kids…never a care in the world…"

* * *

"Lileina? Lileina are you around here?" Sorian walked down the passageway towards the sleeping quarters, looking for her missing friend. Lileina had caused quiet a commotion when she had run out of the council hall, and Sorian was looking everywhere she thought Lileina could be hiding, hoping to find her before one of the elders or Drassi did. She had a pretty good idea of why Lileina was so upset and she didn't think that anyone else would be very good company for her at the moment. "It's me, Sorian…"

"Just the one I was hoping to see." A voice came from around the corner, and Sorian froze in place. Why now? Out of all the men she didn't want to run across…

"Dot now, Drassi, I'm busy." Trying to walk around him, Sorian was as short with him as she could possibly be, and he narrowed his eyes at her. 

"Not too busy to talk to me, I hope," he said, coming ever closer to her and blocking her path as Sorian gave him a dirty look. 

"I have no use for you, Drassi. Now move aside and let me continue on my way." Moving to the other side of the hall yielded no more positive results as Drassi once again stepped in front of her. He smiled coldly as he reached into his armor.

"Oh, I know you have no use for me or any other male, Sorian. And if you don't want me telling the elders that you prefer to spend your time in the company of women, you'll calm yourself down and tell me all you know about this lover of Lileina's." There was an ugly undertone to Drassi's voice that Sorian didn't care for, and she drew herself up as tall as she could. She didn't know how he had found out her secret, but she wasn't about to allow him to intimidate her with it.

"I do not care who knows whom I prefer to spend my time with, and I have no idea what 'lover' you speak of." Affecting a rather haughty look, she started to walk around Drassi as he pulled out a folded piece of paper and held it in front of her face. Sorian's eyes widened slightly as she realized what it was, and he smirked.

"This man is her lover, is he not?" The drawing of Valtier that Lileina had surprised herself by drawing a few days earlier was clenched in his hand and Sorian tried her best not to look too interested in it.

"What might that be?"

"Don't play me for a fool, Sorian. This was folded up in a book and hidden under the mattress of her bed like some sort of treasure map. So why don't you drop your act and tell me what the big deal with him is. Let me guess, he's a human, is that it?" While he was talking, Sorian tried to snatch the paper from his hand. 

"You have no business going in her room!" As she finally lost her composure, Drassi pulled the paper out of her reach before she could touch it, and Sorian's face reddened with anger as she stared at him. "Give that back!" This only made Drassi laugh, and she narrowed her eyes into tiny slits. "Why don't you just leave her alone? She doesn't want you!"

"And I suppose you think she wants _you_?" The tone of his voice made Sorian's slender hands curl into fists as she began to turn red again. "Come off it, Sorian, Lileina and I are meant for one another. Whether she realizes it or not, she belongs to me. And nothing will stop me from having her, not even a meddling little---" His words were sharply snipped off by the hand that flashed out from Sorian's side and struck him quite hard across the face.

"How _dare_ you?!" While Drassi still seemed stunned from the slap, Sorian grabbed the sketch from his hand, accidentally tearing it a little in her zeal. "You aren't fit to clean Lileina's boots! Just because you guard the sanctuary, you think you're some great treasure, but let me tell you Drassi, you're beneath even a…a…Dung Serpent, if there is such a thing!" Storming away with the drawing in her hand, Sorian left Drassi rubbing his cheek and, oddly enough, smiling. So Rinoa was telling the truth after all. There _was_ something those two were hiding about this Valtier person, whoever he was. 

Walking back to his quarters, Drassi laughed. Dung Serpent, indeed.

* * *

"There you go, a nice hot bath is just what you need." Elaine had piled Lileina's wet clothes into a basket and, upon deciding that her lips were turning blue from the cold, placed her in the hot bath she was preparing for the elder when he returned. Meanwhile, she had placed Valtier in the guest bedroom, trying his best to dry off with the pile of towels he had been given. Leaving Lileina in the tub, she went down the hall to check on his progress. "Have you taken off those wet things yet?"

"I haven't got anything else to put on," Valtier said, looking around the room. Tossing him another towel, Elaine laughed. 

"Come on now, son, I've raised four boys in my life. Three of them are still living in this house. There is nothing you could possibly have that I haven't seen before." Holding out a hand, she smiled. "Off with them." While Valtier continued to protest, a door opened and closed down the hall, and Elaine nodded as she finally got him to give her his things. "Sounds like she's done in there. Why don't you run down and get in before the water cools off? It'll take a while for me to heat more…"

"Thank you. But my clothes…?"

"I'm going to hang them over the fire so that they'll dry out. In the meantime, I'll bring some of Michael's things into the bathroom for you to wear. They may be a little big, like last time, but at least they'll be dry." She put his clothes in the basket with Lileina's and stepped out of the room. Valtier wrapped the towel around his waist as he heard her walking down the stairs and slipped out into the hall.

Wondering why the elder wanted to see Lileina, he headed toward the bathroom. Thoughts of the attack on Dragons' Peak continued to march through his mind uncomfortably, and he couldn't help worrying. If Dragons' Peak had been attacked, who was to say that the City of Ancients wouldn't be next? Or the Fire Dragon Lord's sanctuary? The thought of Lileina being in a place where he couldn't protect her was almost unbearable, and for a moment he wondered if maybe she could be convinced to come and live in Karal, at least for a little while. A human village might be safer, he thought, as his hand fell onto the doorknob.

Still lost in thought, he pushed the door open and as he stepped into the bathroom, he realized that it was still being occupied. Lileina was stepping out of the bathtub, completely naked and holding a thin towel over her breasts. Her mouth fell open as she saw Valtier standing in the doorway, his eyes seemingly locked onto her naked form.

"Valtier!"  
"Sorry! I—I thought you were already out!" Turning away so that he faced the door, he blushed brightly. "I'll…I'll leave you alone…"

"No, I was…I was done." Quickly wrapping the towel around her body, Lileina got out of the tub and started out the door. Pausing for a moment beside Valtier, she cleared her throat. "By the way…I was going to tell you that I was thinking of buying you the ring that goes with mine…if you don't mind…" Her head was bowed shyly as Valtier looked over at her, trying to keep his eyes on her face. Although she looked small and slender under her miko robes and dress, the towel that barely covered her rosy skin made it obvious that she was rather nicely endowed and had quite a pretty figure. Valtier was having difficulty keeping his mind on the question at hand, but he managed to nod before she figured out what was distracting him.

"S-sure…"

"And I didn't get thank you earlier…for mine." Gently squeezing his hand as she passed, Lileina hurried down the hall to get some dry clothes from Elaine. Watching her small form disappear into one of the bedrooms, Valtier couldn't help wishing to himself very suddenly that she was already his mate.

* * *

"So, Karal was attacked last night as well…" Curled up in a pair of pajamas that were too small for the boys and a blanket, Lileina sat by the fire at the elder's feet as he relaxed in his chair. "Now I see why Timothy was acting so oddly to us."

"The council has decided that all the young men of the city should be on guard duty in case of another attack…I was completely against it, though. I understand as well as you that our weapons are of no use against demons, which is why I was so worried about you and Valtier. Dragons are about as helpless against high-level demons like the ones that attacked our town as we are. When word came to me that a number of Gold Dragons were killed up at Dragons' Peak…" Shaking his head, the elder didn't finish his sentence as he looked at Lileina. "But I am glad you're both safe. And with cause to celebrate, from the looks of it," he said, nodding towards Lileina's right hand, on which the ring sparkled in the firelight. Blushing, Lileina shook her head.

"No, it's not…I mean, Valtier gave me this ring, but he didn't quite understand that humans…well, that is…not yet…"

"Yes, I know it's somewhat different for Dragons. There's no real ceremony, but from the ring I can assume that you are indeed to be mated together?" Smiling in a paternal way, the elder laughed as he saw Lileina hurriedly take another sip of the hot milk Elaine had given her. "You have no need to be embarrassed, dear. As I have told you, I spent many years among Dragons, learning your language and your ways. To me, it's just like one of my own getting married."

"I'm sorry…it's just that I've never been too skilled at talking about things…like this. I mean…" Before she could finish her sentence, Valtier walked into the sitting room dressed in some of Michael's old clothes. He took a quick look out the window before he sat down. 

"Still raining hard," he commented, moving closer to Lileina. Still blushing a little, she offered him part of the blanket, which he wrapped around himself. "Thank you. It's a little cold upstairs."

"Valtier, last night, Karal was attacked by demons," she said softly. Immediately, Valtier frowned at her as if he didn't understand. "This war…they're attacking humans now. It's not just between the demons and Dragons after all."

"But what could they possibly gain by attacking human villages?" As he spoke, Elaine walked into the room with another mug of hot milk, which she handed towards Valtier with a smile. He accepted it with a quick nod. "Thank you."

"I don't know what they could be after here. Demons don't just randomly attack anyone. But the elder tells me that no one was killed, fortunately, or even seriously wounded. It's as if the attack was…just for show." While she turned back to speak to the elder, Valtier was silent, thinking about what she had said. No one was killed, most likely because they were humans. It was a fair guess that Hellmaster was trying to divert attention away from something else by attacking a human village, but he couldn't guess what it might be. However, in the attack at Dragons' Peak, more Gold Dragons were killed than any other race, as if they were being targeted. If that was true, it would only be a matter of time before the Fire Dragon Lord's sanctuary was attacked.

Somehow, he was going to have to think of a way to convince Lileina that she wasn't safe at the sanctuary, and that it would be a better idea for her to come to Karal, even temporarily. If she wanted, he could even come with her. The City of Ancients had more than enough sentinels to replace him, and as he looked over at Lileina's face, shining in the firelight, he nodded to himself. The most important thing to him, after all, was her safety.

Finally, the rain let up, and after changing back into their dry clothes and finishing the dinner that Elaine insisted they have, Lileina and Valtier bid farewell to the elder and his wife and headed back to the forest. For once, they were walking in silence. It was completely unusual for them not to have even a word pass between them, but neither could really think of anything to say.

As they reached the part of the forest where Lileina's swing still hung from the tree, she suddenly stopped and went over to it. Gently, she touched the rope that connected it to the tree and turned to Valtier.

"Push me a little?" Her voice was soft, and Valtier nodded as he joined her.

"Of course." Wordlessly, he walked behind the swing and watched her climb onto it, then pushed the swing gently so that Lileina was propelled into the air. He wondered what she was thinking as she closed her eyes and let the breeze flow through her long hair as it streamed out behind her. There was a strange look on her face that wasn't quite happiness, but wasn't quite sadness either, and he remained silent for a moment, unsure if anything he could say would sound right.

In Lileina's mind, she was being transported to another time on the swing, when there was nothing more to worry about than the sweeping of the sanctuary's halls and all she needed was a book and a quiet place to walk with Valtier by her side. Moments of happiness…the day she met him, laughing with Sorian over dinner, spinning for endless minutes in the field of flowers until she fell backwards into the whirling palette of color…flew through her head as she tried to block out the images of the war that she knew was raging on in other parts of their world. She had always worried excessively about others, but this was so close to her heart that she couldn't help worrying. 

Although it seemed so selfish of her to think of her own happiness, and of wanting nothing more than to fly off into the sky and disappear with Valtier, she couldn't stop those very thoughts from returning to her mind's eye over and over. So deep in thought was she that Lileina hardly realized that Valtier was talking to her.

"…consider it, at the very least…"

"What?" Looking over her shoulder, Lileina tried to muster up a smile. "I'm sorry, my mind was elsewhere."

"I understand," he said, smiling as he continued to push the swing gently. "What I was saying was that I'm always so worried about you because you're so far away, and the attacks at Dragons' Peak and Karal don't help a bit. The demons will eventually find a way to attack the City of Ancients and the sanctuary, you and I know it is only a matter of time, and with everything going on, we won't be able to see one another as often as we do now. The longer we're apart, the more I worry about you…even if it's only a few hours. I was asking you if you would consider coming here and living in Karal for a short while." Immediately, Lileina put her feet down on the ground and dug in her toes so that the swing stopped moving.

"Leave the Fire Dragon Lord's sanctuary? Valtier, how can you even suggest something like that?" Jumping up from the swing, Lileina was as mad as Valtier ever thought he had seen her, and her eyes showed every ounce of hurt she was feeling as she raised her voice. "I understand that you're worried…I'm worried for your safety as well, but I wouldn't ask you to leave the City of Ancients! I know you are capable of protecting yourself!"

"Lileina, please don't be angry…I wasn't suggesting that you're incapable of protecting yourself. I just want to make sure that you're safe. The elder said that no one was seriously harmed here, and I'm sure it was because they're humans. Hellmaster is targeting Dragons, and I would never forgive myself if anything happened to you…" Taking a step towards her, he held out a hand in peace. "Please, I was only asking you to consider it…"

"There is nothing to consider! And I don't want to discuss this any further." Turning on her heel, Lileina started down the path as she felt her cheeks grow hot. How could he even suggest that she leave the sanctuary? It was her only home, her only family… Why were all males like this? Certain that they could take care of her better than she could take care of herself?

"Wait, Lileina!" Running after her, Valtier called out to her in the hopes that she would give him just a moment longer before she flew away. "Please, just listen?"

"Why should I? I believe I've heard all I want to." Her voice was still frosty, but she stopped walking. Valtier saw this as a sign, and he moved closer to her.

"Because I love you…and because I don't want you to run away from me. Especially now, when something might happen to either one of us at any time. If Hellmaster decides that tonight the demons should attack the City of Ancients, and I should never see your face again, I would hate for the last words we spoke to one another to be spoken in anger." The effect of his words on Lileina was visible in the way she bowed her head slightly, taking in what he had said. Coming up behind her slowly, Valtier gingerly lay a hand on her shoulder. "Lileina?"

"What is it you want to say?" Her voice was low, and he smiled as he dropped his head. Before she could move away, he put his arms around her, embracing her from behind, and spoke just beside her ear.

"I know you're afraid. All of our kind are right now. I'm just trying to keep you safe the best way I can. Every moment we're apart, I wish I could be by your side to protect you…and now, you're so far away from me and so many things could happen to you. Things I have no control over and can't prevent. Please understand, I don't want to make you angry. I just want to assure myself that when the sun rises, we will both be able to see it, wherever we may be." Closing his eyes, he sighed deeply. "As much as I want you near me, I can't tell you what to do. But I can tell you how I feel. And I will."

"Why? Why do you all think that the only place I'm safe is under your gaze?" Lileina's voice sounded as if it would break, and at once Valtier understood.

"My darling…I am not that contemptible Drassi creature, who thinks that he can use force to make you love him and do what he wants. You know I wouldn't ever ask you to do something against your will, no matter how much your refusal might pain me. You didn't let me finish…I wasn't suggesting that you come to Karal alone. If it means that the chances of my losing you decrease by even a tiny bit, then I will come with you. We could live as a human couple, together, until the war is over. All I want is to make sure that you stay safe…so that we can never be parted." He paused, and relief surged through him as he felt Lileina relax in his arms. As her head fell against his chest, he thought he caught a glimpse of her smile as he opened his eyes. 

"I…know you aren't him. But…" Her words trailed away again, and Valtier turned her around to face him.

"You know, I've never been as worried about another being in my life as I am when we are apart. To be honest, it frightens me," he admitted as Lileina looked into his eyes, searching to see whether or not he meant this. "But I know I can't be too frightened…I have you to think about now. There's not a thing I do anymore that I don't think about how it will affect you as well as me. Being so…connected with someone, with _you_, makes any fear seem like nothing. I know you'll always be there, no matter what." Looking once more at Lileina, he was glad to see that she was smiling as well.

"No matter what," she said softly.

"I can't stop worrying about you," Valtier said, leaning his head forward so that their foreheads were touching. "But I can and will promise not to bring up you coming and living in Karal again. The last thing I want is to anger you again." Smiling hopefully at her, he took her hands. "Can you forgive me?"

"Of course I forgive you. How could I not? Every time I look at you, all the anger and sadness just melts away from me…and I can't help smiling." She felt his skin brush against the band on her finger, making her whole hand seem to tingle.

"I'm glad."

"But…you know I can't leave my home in the sanctuary. Not right now…with everything going on like this. Maybe after the war is over, we can talk about where we're going to live together." Reaching up, she brushed his cheek with her fingertips. "I worry about you too, you know. Especially now, because you're a sentinel. If the demons attack the City of Ancients, you're the first ones they go for."

"Yes, but I have a very large sword." Standing up straight, Valtier shook his head. "You don't have to worry about me. Once this is over, we'll always be together…even if it's in some little village where no one's ever heard of a dragon before."

"I know we will," Lileina said softly. "You made me a promise…and I know that you'll keep it."

"That I will," Valtier answered as he lifted her right hand, on which the ring continued to shine, and kissed its palm before kissing her forehead. Smiling, Lileina nodded slowly.

"We both will."


	7. Night

"Night"

The days passed so slowly that it seemed as if the whole world had ceased to turn, and as the attacks on Dragon, human and even elven villages increased, so did the restrictions on how often anyone could leave the sanctuary. The restrictions seemed aimed at Lileina in particular, since it was she who spent most of her time out of its protective walls, but they didn't stop her from thinking of leaving. After her outburst in council, however, she was under close watch by the elders to make sure she didn't run away from the sanctuary and into the midst of a demon attack.

But no matter how often they told her that the restrictions were for her own good, Lileina couldn't stop staring out the windows every chance she got, trying to think of a way to slip past the guards and get back to Karal. And that particular afternoon was no different as she sat by the window of the study on the upper level of the sanctuary while Sorian painted, wishing that she could fly to Valtier that very moment. Being without him made her feel so empty...as if someone had taken away half of her heart.

"Lileina, you look so melancholy. Why don't you read or draw a picture? I know you want to replace that one that got torn. You know you can't see him tomorrow, so it's no use sitting there and staring out the window." Adding a dab of paint to her picture, Sorian stood back a little from the canvas and frowned at it. "Hmmm...."

"I know it's useless to sit here and think about him, but it's all I can do. Imagine having someone you love more than anything, and knowing that they're hundreds of miles away from you...all I can think about is him, and wonder if he's thinking about me...if he misses me as much as I miss him." Leaning her head against the glass, Lileina sighed. "It's terrible."

"You miss him like this because you're so used to seeing him every day. And of course he's missing you. After all, he's your mate isn't he? He's probably driving his friends crazy by talking about you all the time, too." Sorian looked to her friend, expecting to see Lileina giving her a dirty look, but instead Lileina was blushing bright red. "What is it?"

"We haven't actually...you know..." Beet red, Lileina looked around the study to make sure no one was listening to them.

"But still...he chose you, didn't he? That's almost as good, knowing that he's out there somewhere, waiting for you."

"What do you mean? It is _not_ almost as good." Giving Sorian the look she had been expecting earlier, she sighed and let her head fall backwards against the windowsill. "It's...hard to explain." The door to the study opened, and Rinoa walked in carrying a book under her arm. Immediately, Lileina and Sorian began chatting about the weather and how nice it looked outside. It hadn't escaped either of their notices that Rinoa had been acting strangely lately, much nicer than she usually was, and as a result they were being much more cautious in their dealings with her.

Signaling to one another with their eyes, Lileina informed Sorian that it was time to go and Sorian agreed as she started packing up her paints and canvas. It looked to both of them like she could either be sitting down to read a book or spy on them, and this meant that it was time for them to go somewhere else to talk. They continued to talk about how it was getting dark much earlier than it had been as they walked past Rinoa and out of the study towards the sleeping quarters. Sorian wanted to change clothes because she had splashed paint on her robe while she was finishing the picture, and Lileina retired to her own room momentarily and locked the door.

After Sorian had reported Drassi's unwelcome intrusion into her bedroom, Lileina had enlisted her help in fitting a lock onto the door that could only be opened by magic, using an 'unlock' incantation. It was really an easy spell, but both Lileina and Sorian knew that Drassi knew very little, if any, magic, so it was an effective barrier against further intrusions on his part.

While she was sitting on the bed, Lileina suddenly felt herself growing very tired. She had been sleeping very poorly lately, what with being worried about Valtier and being plagued almost nightly by dreams that always awakened her suddenly and never left her with any memory of their content, disappearing as soon as she sat up in her bed.

There was a knock on her door, and Lileina went over to tell Sorian that she was tired and wanted to rest for a little while. Sorian agreed, telling her that she was a little tired as well and that she would be sure to wake Lileina for dinner. Locking the door behind her with an incantation, Lileina stretched out on the bed and pulled the covers over her body as she closed her eyes, wishing that she was in Karal...or anywhere she could be near Valtier. _At least_, she thought to herself as she began to doze off, _I can see him in my dreams_.

* * * 

While Lileina dreamed of Valtier, he was leaning on the side of the Great Dome waiting for the elders to come out so he could lock the door. Deep inside the Dome, the elders were inside preparing to send another message to the Gold Dragons in response to their final demand for the Ancient Dragons to turn the weapon over to them.

Artemis walked slowly down the long hall, the message tucked safely into a leather pouch that hung around his shoulders. A sick feeling had settled into his stomach, and he tried to push it away as he opened the doors. The elders were entrusting him with this message because he was the only one outside the council that knew the full extent of the situation with the weapon, but that didn't make him any less nervous. he passed through the doors of the dome and smiled over at Valtier, who looked like he was about to fall asleep.

"Afternoon, Valtier."

"Good afternoon, Artemis. You look like you're going to be sick." Clapping his friend on the shoulder, Valtier smiled. "What's wrong?"

"I've got to make a trip to the Fire Dragon Lord's sanctuary...to deliver a message to their elder. I'm...nervous about it." With a sigh, he looked up at Valtier. "You're lucky. You don't have any worries."

"Don't I? My future mate is sitting defenseless in that sanctuary, waiting until they say she can move before she can leave to see me for a few hours. She could be attacked at any moment by demons and I wouldn't know about it for days. And you say I have no problems?" Noticing the pouch that hung over Artemis' shoulder, Valtier's smile became wider. "I'd give just about anything to get a message to her. If only someone I knew was going that direction..."

"All right, all right, I get your point." reaching into the bag, Artemis took out a quill and piece of paper, which he handed to Valtier. "I can't guarantee anything, but I promise that I will do my best to get it to her."

"You're a good friend, Artemis," Valtier said as he handed him a letter. Giving him an exasperated look, Artemis tucked the letter into the mail pouch. 

"Oh, sure. Like you were going to let me refuse."

* * *

After Sorian awoke from her nap, she had decided to walk around a little since Lileina was still asleep. She wasn't worried because she knew her friend had been having trouble sleeping lately, but after she had been cornered by Drassi, she was reluctant to be anywhere in the sanctuary alone and no one else seemed to be around. The silence was making her a little nervous, and she headed back to her own bedroom to wait for Lileina to wake up.

As she came around the corner, Sorian saw someone moving in the shadows near the mikos' sleeping quarters. Instantly on her guard, she pressed herself against the wall and looked as far as she could down the corridor. From where she was standing, it looked like a male figure, and she felt her heart stop for a moment. She couldn't believe Drassi would dare to be anywhere near the mikos' sleeping quarters, but it made her all the more wary of him. Surely he knew that if Sorian caught him again, she was going directly to the elders. If he was willing to risk the wrath of the elders, there was no telling what he might do. Moving slowly towards him, careful to stay in the shadows, Sorian narrowed her eyes.

"Who's there?" Trying not to sound as scared as she felt, Sorian called out to the other creature in the hall, and was a little relieved as whoever it was stopped in their tracks. Slowly, the figure stepped into the light, letting Sorian see that it was not Drassi, but a young man with dark hair who looked just as terrified as she did.

"I...I'm Artemis...a messenger from the Ancient Dragons..." As he spoke, his voice shook a little, and Sorian's eyes widened.

"Did you say Ancient...wait, are you a friend of Valtier?" Stepping closer, she lowered her voice as the young man nodded cautiously. He tried to get a good look at her face as he recalled the description of Lileina he had been given. 

"You aren't Lileina, are you?" His voice was soft and kind, making Sorian feel as if she could trust him. Shaking her head, she motioned to his mail pouch.

"Are you looking for her?"

"I...I have a message for her. From Valtier." He rested his hand on the mail bag, and Sorian took his arm with a smile.

"I'll show you the way. But you know you really shouldn't be back here. The sleeping quarters of the mikos are off limits to males of any species." 

"Yes, I know. It's the same at the temple in the City of the Ancients. But Valtier has been missing her, and he asked me to do this. I promised to do my best to give his letter to Lileina, and as a friend, I owe it to him to do so even if I have to take a bit of a risk." Artemis' gold eyes fixed on Sorian's violet ones, and she smiled as she thought of how far she would go for Lileina.

"He must be a very good friend."

"Yes, I suppose he is."

* * *

In her room, Lileina lay on her bed, tossing and turning in the grip of yet another of her nightmares. Murmurs of unrest escaped her slightly parted lips as she rolled over once more on the bed, trying to escape whatever horrible things she was seeing. Clutching a handful of the covers, she frowned in her sleep.

"No...n...no..." Shaking her head against the pillows, Lileina groaned as her face contorted into a mask of pain. She kicked out her legs as if she were trying to run away, but it only served to further entangle her legs in the sheets and blankets. "No..." Feeling even more trapped, Lileina cried out in her sleep as she tried to jump out of the bed. "NO!!" Waking with a start, she tripped over the covers that had bound her legs and fell onto the floor roughly. Catching herself on her hands and knees, it took her a moment to realize where she was and that she was safe.

Trying to catch her breath, Lileina gasped softly to herself as she pressed a hand to her chest and leaned back against the nightstand. Another nightmare. And as usual, she could hardly remember anything that had been in it. Closing her eyes to try and help her regain her composure didn't help, but as she rubbed her temples a needle of pain shot through her head and a sudden flash of the dream came back into her mind as her chest tightened.

In her mind, she could see Valtier standing defiantly before a tall figure whose face she couldn't see through the darkness that surrounded them. Valtier was already badly injured, bleeding from several deep wounds on his chest, back, arms and face, though somehow she knew that this figure hadn't been the one to inflict those wounds. His armor was gone, and all he was wearing was a tattered pair of white pants, his hair flying wildly in the breeze that seemed to have suddenly come up. The two looked as if they were facing off, and Valtier turned his face towards her with his usual smile. Less than a moment later, a huge sword was unsheathed and flashed out towards Valtier, driving through his stomach and exiting his back with a sound that made Lileina's stomach turn. Hurriedly, she crawled over to the basin in the corner and forfeited her share of lunch as the sound continued to replay itself in her ears. Leaning over the basin, her hair hanging around her face like a set of tangled flaxen curtains, Lileina gasped for air as a bead of sweat ran down her face and dripped off the end of her nose.

__

What...what kind of a dream was that? It...seemed so real...please tell me that it was only a nightmare...and not a vision of things that will come to pass...

"Excuse me?" There was a knock at the door, and she looked up from the basin as she continued to try and catch her breath. It sounded a little like Sorian's voice, so Lileina stood up to rinse her mouth out with water from her jug as she murmured in the direction of the voice.

"Come in," she managed weakly, pushing the basin behind the bookshelf with the toe of her boot and looking towards the door, expecting to see Sorian walking in. Instead, a somewhat feminine-looking young man stepped inside, looking at her nervously.

"Miss Lileina?" Artemis' voice was soft, almost reverent as he gazed at the face of the figure that picked up a brush and began to untangle her hair as she came towards him. So this was the Dragon that had not only saved his best friend's life, but had also won his heart.

"Yes," she said cautiously, brushing her hair quickly and smoothing it down with her hand. Placing the brush back onto her nightstand, she smiled. "Who are you?"

"A messenger. I was sent by the council of the Ancient Dragons to bring a message to the Chief Elder of the Gold Dragons. My name is Artemis, and..."

"Artemis?" The name caused a bell to go off in Lileina's head, and she moved a little closer to him. "You're a friend of Valtier's!" He nodded, and the image from her dream suddenly returned and caused a sick sensation to return to her stomach. Hurrying to his side, Lileina grabbed Artemis' arm. "Please! Is he all right? He isn't...hurt, is he?"

"No, he's fine! In fact, he sends you a letter." Reaching into the mail pouch, he withdrew the letter and handed it to Lileina. "Here. He misses you greatly." Pressing the folded piece of paper to her heart, she felt tears spring to her eyes.

"And I miss him..." Pushing back the tears, she opened the letter and ran her eyes over the sharply slanted script that was Valtier's handwriting.

_My precious Lileina,_

I miss you more than any words could ever express, and I hope that you are thinking about me, even a little, while we are apart.

My love, waiting to see you is like being deprived of water and sunlight and I find it harder and harder to wait until the morning to see you again. Every moment is like a year and there are hours still to go until the sun rises. If you are able, please meet me by the waterfall at the edge of the Sleeping forest. It should be safe for us to meet there. Send word with Artemis if you can meet me, I will wait for your reply.

All my love, Valtier

Almost in tears, Lileina nodded slowly as she pressed the letter to her heart again. Going to her bookshelf, she took a sheet of paper from a wooden box and wrote a short letter on it, which she folded and handed to Artemis with a smile.

"Here. Tell him I'll be there. And I thank you for..." Lileina stopped and frowned as Artemis leaned over to tuck the letter into his mail pouch and the light hit his face in such a way that she was able to see a large bruise on the side of his face. Scanning his body with her eyes, she noticed another on his arm and looked up at him. "Oh, Artemis...what happened here?" Ever so gently, she touched his face and he flinched a little.

"That? Oh...some of the guards decided, when I showed up, to...um...check that I wasn't a demon." Blushing a little, Artemis shook his head. "It doesn't hurt."

"I'll bet one of those jerks was Drassi. They had no right to treat you like this...these bruises are terrible..." Inspecting his arm, she could see the vague outline of finger marks on the bruises. "They're no better than demons themselves."

"It's not so bad...really. You see, I...I bruise easily." Her kindness was almost more than Artemis could bear, and he looked away from her.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of it." Holding a hand over his cheek, she uttered a soft recovery spell that sent warmth spreading through Artemis' entire body. "There...you're completely healed."

"Thank you...it wasn't necessary, but thank you just the same. You're so very kind." Looking over at Lileina, Artemis realized that he suddenly understood why Valtier loved her so much. It was true, she was kind and gentle...but the anger she felt when he told her about the guards' treatment of him when he came to the sanctuary was almost palpable. For her to be able to have such empathy for another creature...she had to be, no, she _was_ truly special. Any other Gold Dragon would have left him in pain simply because their races were in the middle of a dispute, but Lileina refused to let anyone suffer, even someone she was supposed to consider an enemy. Valtier was right...she was different.

"I'm not special at all. You risked quite a lot to bring me this message from Valtier. I owe it to you for being so thoughtful, and for being such a good friend to Valtier and to me." Touching his healed face, she smiled. "Now let me call Sorian, and we'll walk you to see the chief elder."

"You really don't have to..."

"Yes, we do. If you're caught alone here in the sleeping quarters, the guards will hurt you again and I don't want that to happen. If we walk with you, we can simply tell anyone who might find us that you got lost." Leading him to the door, Lileina sighed. "I suppose I'm a little selfish too...I want to make sure Valtier gets his letter." This made Artemis laugh, and Lileina nodded to the door. "Let's go, shall we?"

"After you, my lady."

Down the hall, Rinoa pressed herself into the shadows, unable to believe what she had just heard. She watched Lileina, Sorian and the young man who called himself Artemis walk down the hall away from the sleeping quarters. A smile spread over her face before she was able to stop it. So that was their secret...an Ancient Dragon... Wait until she told Drassi this. Not right away of course, she would wait a little longer until the situation with the Ancients was at its breaking point and she was sure that Drassi was a little more interested in her. Then, when Lileina was least expecting it...

Rinoa laughed to herself. She couldn't believe her luck, couldn't have planned it any better if she had tried. Instead of actually working to get rid of Lileina, all she had ended up having to do was listen at a few doors. Finally, though...after all this time, she would make Lileina learn what it meant to really cry.

* * *

Valtier sat by the waterfall, watching the moonlight shine off the water as it ran over the rocks and around the small pool at the bottom before running off into a small river. Lileina's letter was tucked safely into his vest, and he glanced up at the sky every few minutes in the hopes of catching a glimpse of her Dragon form gliding through the night sky over the Sleeping forest.

It had been three long days since he last saw her, and Valtier was beginning to feel like he was going insane. He had become so used to seeing her every day that not seeing her bright eyes by the time the sun went down made him a little sadder each time he went to bed. 

"Valtier!" A voice from the trees startled him, and he turned to see Lileina running towards him. She hugged him tightly as he caught her in his arms, and her face pressed into his chest as she caught her breath. "Oh, I missed you!"

"I missed you too," he said, kissing the top of her head quickly. "So much." Lifting her face, he kissed her lips for a long moment before looking into her eyes. "I'm glad Artemis made it."

"Me too. He's a wonderful young man." Lileina's hair fell away from her face as she leaned her head back to look up at the sky. "It's so beautiful out here. And so quiet..."

"Yes." Sitting down on a log that was near the pool at the bottom of the waterfall, Valtier smiled up at Lileina. "I thought we might just sit and watch the stars."

"I don't care what we do," she replied, sitting next to him. "I just want to be near you." Leaning her head onto his shoulder, she sighed softly. Even now, she was trying to forget the terrible dream she had dreamt that afternoon. Sensing that something was amiss, Valtier reached over and put his arm around her, pulling her a little closer to him.

"It's been terrible without you," he said softly, resting his chin on her head for a moment. "All I could think about is how much I wanted to see your face and hold you..."

"Mm..." Breathing deeply of the forest air, Lileina snuggled closer to his warmth to try and dispel a little of the chill she was starting to feel. She had missed being so close to him, feeling his arms around her and hearing his heart beating...his voice calling her name. He was so warm...always so warm...

"Lileina?" His voice was a whisper by her ear and she looked up, her eyes bright. "Is something wrong?"

"Wrong?" When she spoke, her voice sounded strange to her ears, and Valtier rubbed her cheek with the back of his hand.

"You were breathing strangely all of a sudden. Are you feeling well?" Something seemed amiss to him, and he pressed his hand against her cheek for a few moments. "Your skin feels so cold..." Putting his arms around her, Valtier embraced her tightly. "Maybe coming out here was a bad idea." 

"No, it's just..." Surrounded by his warmth, Lileina couldn't stop the images from her dream from coming back at her, just as painful and vivid as they had been that afternoon. Tears welled up in her eyes as she remembered how his blood had run down the sword, how limply his head had fallen down onto his chest, and the tears began to flow from her eyes before she could stop them. Thinking she was just upset about the continuing war, Valtier kissed her cheek gently.

"It's okay...don't cry..." His words seemed to have no effect on her as the tears continued to trickle down her cheeks, and as he continued to kiss her face and lips, Valtier realized that something more than the war was bothering her. "My dear... Lileina, what's wrong?"

"I'm so scared," she whispered, shaking her head against his chest as the words she had been trying to keep inside managed to find their way out. She didn't want to tell him about the dream, she was afraid she would sound like a frightened hatchling. His kisses were only a small measure of comfort as she felt herself trembling a little, and Valtier stroked her hair gently.

"There's nothing to be scared of, not while I'm here. I'll protect you, I swear that I will. As long as we're here together, you're safe." Raising her chin up a little, he pressed his lips softly to hers. Lileina closed her eyes, trying to tell herself that it was only a dream, that she should put it out of her mind and enjoy the time they had together, but she couldn't. Pulling away from her, Valtier looked into her eyes, his face lined with concern. "Lileina...where are you right now?"

"What? I'm right here..."

"Your body is here, but your mind is elsewhere...it's as if you're a thousand miles from here." Brushing her hair away from her face, he smiled gently. "I would like it if all of your parts were here with me." 

"I am here," she insisted, placing a hand on the side of his face. "Always...here with you." She knew at the same moment he did that she was lying, and she sighed. "Maybe you're right. I am a bit distracted... I can't explain it, but it's as if my mind is so full right now."

"Perhaps I can persuade you to forget it all, just for a short while?" His golden eyes glinted in the moonlight, and Lileina smiled at him as she nodded.

"Of course," she said, leaning in so that he could kiss her again. As their lips met, she resolved that she was going to forget about the dream and about everything else that was bothering her so that they could spend what little time they had together. The kiss continued, and as memories of the dream began to resurface, Lileina began to kiss Valtier harder as she tried to push it out of her mind. The more passionate their kisses became, the easier it was to forget about the dreams, about Drassi, about everything but being there, that moment with Valtier. Her sudden vigor did not go unnoticed by her partner, who suddenly opened his eyes and pulled away a little breathlessly.

Lileina opened her eyes and looked at him in surprise as he frowned. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing...well, I mean...you just seem...different tonight."

"Different..." Blushing as she realized what he meant, Lileina looked down into her hands. "I'm sorry...I didn't meant to make you uncomfortable."

"It's not that," Valtier said, reaching over to take her hand. "You didn't make me uncomfortable, it's just that I'm not used to you being so..." Lileina didn't let him finish. She was almost afraid of what he might say.

"I...I think I was trying to forget..." Deciding that sounding childish was better than scaring Valtier away, Lileina sighed. "A dream...a terrible dream I had this afternoon."

"What kind of a dream?" To her amazement, he didn't sound as if he thought she were stupid or childish, he sounded genuinely concerned about her. Lileina was suddenly very relieved.

"You were hurt...bleeding..." Shaking her head, Lileina closed her eyes. "It was bad...I think you were dying. And then...this man..." Not letting her finish, Valtier took her hand and kissed her forehead gently. 

"It's all right, Lileina. I'm right here...I'm not dying, I'm right here." Squeezing her hand, he smiled. "I won't leave you, no matter what. And I'm not about to die...not just yet. I'll always be here with you."

"But it seemed so real..."

"I know. I've had some dreams like that. But fortunately, the ones that seemed the most real to me were all very good dreams." Looking up a little, Lileina noticed that Valtier was looking at her in an odd sort of way, as if he couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Valtier..." As she leaned her head towards him, the moonlight made strange little shadows travel across her face, and Valtier reached up to touch her cheek as if he were in a daze. His fingers brushed lightly across her skin, making her smile inquisitively. "What is it?"

"You're just so beautiful...in this moonlight, you look like an angel." A smile spread over his face as he traced her cheek with his finger. "My angel. I'm so lucky to have found you. Looking at you like this...it makes me wish that..." His voice trailed away suddenly, and Lileina leaned closer to him as he cleared his throat.

"It makes you wish...what?"

"I don't think I should say." All of a sudden, Valtier's cheeks had gone bright red and he shifted his eyes away from her. Cocking her head ever so slightly, she smiled.

"Why not?"

"Because...I don't want to offend you." His face grew even redder, and Lileina blushed herself as she realized what he had probably been about to say. For a moment, she was unsure of what to say.

"Oh...I see..." Fidgeting with the jewels at the end of one of her braids, she smiled over at him reassuringly. "Well...if you wanted to say it anyway, you could...and then if I was offended, I could just say so, and we could...forget you ever said it at all..." Part of her was dying to know what he said, but the rest of her was shocked that she would even think about it. "How about that?"

"I...suppose that's okay..." Clearing his throat again, louder this time, Valtier scratched the back of his head as he spoke. "I was going to say...that I wish...you were already my mate." His words hung heavily in the air for a few moments as Lileina blushed a little more. She understood him perfectly now, but wasn't sure how a nice young miko was supposed to react to something like this. Shaking his head firmly, Valtier looked into his hands. "I'm sorry...forget I said anything..." The embarrassment in his voice was more than she had ever heard, and Lileina suddenly decided that she didn't care what a nice young miko would do. 

"No," she murmured, her heart thundering in her throat as she scooted a little closer to him. "I don't want to forget it...at all..." Valtier's head snapped up as he looked into her eyes, which were shining with sincerity.

"Lileina...what do you mean...?" 

"I mean that I don't want to wait until the war is over." Somehow, she managed to keep her voice steady as she spoke, despite the fact that Valtier was staring at her. "I would like to become your mate...now..."

"Oh, Lileina..." His heartbeat quickening, Valtier took her hands gently. "I didn't mean for you to...to make this decision so quickly..."

"If you don't want to..." Shaking her head, Lileina looked into her lap. Now she was the one who had made him uncomfortable. Trying to think of a way to take it back, she moved her mouth soundlessly for a moment as Valtier smiled gently.

"That's not it. Not at all. I just...don't want you to do this because of me."

"I'm not." Leaning forward, Lileina surprised him a little by kissing him gently on the lips. "I love you...and I want to be a part of you." Her cheeks were still burning, and Valtier pressed a hand to her flushed cheek. It took her a moment to realize that he was trembling a little. Moving slower than she had ever seen him, Valtier kissed her as he pulled her closer to his end of the log. Ever so gently, he dipped his head downward and nuzzled the side of her throat for a moment. Lileina murmured contentedly in the back of her throat as he turned his face to let his lips brush her skin, and he looked up at her.

"Are you...sure?" His voice was soft, and she nodded, keeping her eyes on his as she did. Reaching behind her, Valtier unfastened a few of the tiny buttons that held her dress closed and pushed it down to expose her shoulders. They seemed to glow ivory in the moonlight, and he caught his breath suddenly. "Lileina...everything about you is so beautiful. Not just your face and your body, but your heart as well. I could have never hoped for anyone or anything as wonderful as you...and yet somehow...here you are."

"Here we are," Lileina said softly as he began to kiss her neck and shoulders, her face growing warmer as his lips caressed her skin and his hand fell to her waist. She leaned her head back a little so her hair was out of his face, and Valtier began to aim his kisses further down her torso. Feeling as if her body had reached some sort of boiling point, Lileina felt a sudden need to cool herself off. Nodding to herself, Lileina stood up, her dress hanging loose around her shoulders. As Valtier watched, she reached back and unfastened the rest of the buttons, letting the dress slide down her body and onto the forest floor. Carefully, she stepped out of it and kicked off her boots, then walked towards the pool of water that was gathering under the waterfall, wearing only her very thin slip. Valtier gave her a questioning look, then pulled off his vest and shirt, intending to follow her into the water. She looked over her shoulder at him, and he noticed that a smile was playing over her lips, a smile that made him pull off his boots and wade after her into the water, either not noticing or not caring that his pants were getting soaked to the knee.

Joining her near the waterfall, Valtier noticed that the tiny droplets of water that sprayed onto her from the direction of the rocks was making her already-thin slip cling to her body as it began to turn transparent. Lileina's slender figure was clearly outlined through the white fabric, and Valtier put a hand on her arm.

"You're all cold again," he murmured, rubbing a hand rather lightly over her skin. Smiling up at him, her cheeks pink in the starlight, Lileina shook her head. 

"No...you're wrong. I feel like...like I'm on fire..."

A few moments later, they were laying together on a fluffy patch of grass just inside the Sleeping forest, where the only sounds were the beating of their hearts as they looked into one another's eyes. Their remaining clothes having been discarded, Lileina and Valtier curled closer to one another, each warming the other with the shelter of their body.

"You're sure about this?" Brushing the side of Lileina's face with his fingertips, he gave her a somewhat serious look, and she nodded slowly as she smiled.

"As sure as I am that I love you...and that I want to be with you forever."

"All right..." Slowly, deliberately, he moved his body over hers as Lileina reached up to touch his face. A smile crossed his lips as his hair fell over his shoulder and tickled her nose. "Lileina...I love you..." Valtier's words echoed in her ears as he moved forward into her, and suddenly everything around Lileina seemed to rush in on her at once as a thousand sensations she had never known before overtook her body at the same moment.

Before either of them fully understood what they were doing, they began to move in unison, their bodies entwining with one another, seeming to melt together as the world fell away beneath them, leaving only the dreamlike state in which they were the only creatures alive, the only ones that mattered at all. Lileina's hands opened and closed against Valtier's back, catching a few strands of his long hair in them as she did.

__

Valtier...you're so warm...these feelings...please, don't leave me... I'm so afraid of what might happen without you... We can't see the future, what will happen tomorrow is so...uncertain...but I can be here with you...today...

Without warning, Lileina felt as if the ground was rushing up at her. One of her hands fell back and clutched at the grass beneath them as a strange, foreign heat filled her body and spread rapidly through her veins. Reaching up to comfort her, Valtier took her hand and squeezed it gently as the earth caught up with them in a storm of white light that seemed like a rain of feathers.

"Valtier..."

"Lileina..."

"I...love you.."

* * *

"Your reverence, the Ancient Dragons have sent us their final word on the weapon." Caiphas stood before the chief elder, holding out the message that Artemis had brought, and the elder shook his head.

"It seems that now we have no choice. Call a special meeting of the council first thing tomorrow morning. There is much to discuss about our current situation, and about what we must do in the future...as well as in the days to come." There was an undertone to his voice that Caiphas had never heard before, and he nodded.

"Yes, your reverence." Bowing deeply, Caiphas exited the room, leaving the elder alone with his thoughts. As much as he hated to do so, and even though he knew the full ramifications of the course of action he was considering taking, he knew something had to be done. And it would be done...for the safety of the Gold Dragons.

* * *

Holding Lileina in his arms as she rested her head against his chest, Valtier felt a peace like he had never before known settle over him. Looking down at Lileina, her long hair tangled and slightly damp, cheeks glowing a gentle rosy hue, he understood why. From that time on, she was to be the only thing in the world who was truly and completely his, and he to be hers.

"Valtier?" Her voice was sleepy, little more than a whisper, and he leaned over to kiss her sweat-beaded forehead lightly before answering.

"What is it, my love?"

"What you said before...about me going to live in Karal for a while. Will you really come to live there with me?" Though her eyelids were drooping, the blue of her eyes was no less bright, and he nodded, tightening his arms around her.

"Of course I will. But I thought you said..."

"I changed my mind. Now...I'll think about it." Pressing herself closer to his bare chest, Lileina could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke. She felt the need to close her eyes, to rest, even if it was just for a moment. There was no need to fear anything now.

"I'm glad."

"You know...I am too..."


	8. Midnight

"Midnight"

"So you really did..." Sorian's eyes were wide as Lileina told her, in whispers, about what exactly had happened the night before. Her cheeks were red as she nodded, and Sorian's eyes traveled slowly to the ring that was on her friend's finger. "Wow. Guess it's for real now. So what are you two going to do?"

"I don't know," Lileina said softly, thinking of what she had told Valtier about going to Karal. She had been serious when she said it, but as she looked at Sorian's worried eyes she wasn't sure if she was doing the right thing. "I'm really...not sure." There was a knock on the door of Lileina's bedroom, and they looked up at the exact same moment.

"Excuse me, Ladies." It was one of the younger mikos, and Sorian smiled at her. "I don't mean to disturb you, but the chief elder had called a special meeting of the council, and they want all the elders, mikos and available guards to attend." This girl was much younger than either Lileina or Sorian, and she looked a little scared. The pair on the bed stood up and headed for the door to walk with the girl down the hall. Once they had reached a part of the sanctuary where there were more people, they let her walk in front of them a little and lowered their voices.

"Wonder what this is about..."

"Maybe the message your friend Artemis brought last night," Sorian said, biting her lip a little. "Do you think the Ancient Dragons agreed to give the elders the weapon? Maybe the whole fight is over and you and...you know who can live together here or maybe in his town!"

"Hmm..." Falling silent for a moment, Lileina thought about what Sorian had said. It really didn't sound very likely, but she didn't say anything.

They walked into the council hall and up the stairs to the second row of seats where the mikos were allowed to sit during full council sessions. Lileina and Sorian sat right next to one another, talking merrily about a painting Sorian was working on, their happy words belying the nervousness they both felt.

It wasn't long before the chief elder entered the room and all the talking ceased. He looked rather uncomfortable in his long blue and white robes, and Lileina began to fidget a little. Her fingers toyed with the end of her braid and were about to pull out some of her hair before Sorian reached over and gently took her friend's hand.

"Don't worry, Lileina. Everything's going to be all right," she whispered reassuringly. "I'm sure they're going to give us good news."

"Can I have quiet, please?" The chief elder looked around the room, and all eyes turned silently to him as he cleared his throat. "I'm afraid I have some rather bad news to tell you, so I would like to ask you all to remain calm." As he spoke, Lileina squeezed Sorian's hand tightly.

"Everything's going to be all right," Sorian repeated softly, glancing over at her friend's worried face. So much for good news.

"Last night we had a message from the council of the Ancient Dragons. As some of you may know, our council has been trying for many moons to try and reason with them to turn over the ancient weapon to us. With the onset of the war with the demons, securing this weapon became even more important because it would have given us power over the demons of Hellmaster that threaten us and every other Dragon race.

"Unfortunately, their final answer is that they will not turn over the weapon under any circumstances, nor will they use it in any attempt to defeat the demons. We have tried reasoning with them, and we have tried threatening them, seeing as how we are in the unique position of being located in a place more prone to attack by the demons. Living in the sanctuary puts us in danger, ladies and gentlemen, because it is a sacred place which, if destroyed, would give the demons immense power.

"By refusing to give us the weapon in order to protect ourselves, the Ancient Dragons have sentenced us to death because they are too proud and too stubborn to entrust us with their treasure. They are unwilling to concern themselves with our safety, so the inner council along with myself believes that we are no longer in a position to concern ourselves with theirs." A murmur went through the crowd as he paused, and Lileina turned to look at Sorian.

"No...it can't be. That can't be true, they wouldn't just turn their backs on us...Valtier..."

"And so, until this war is over," continued the elder, speaking over the murmur and holding up a hand for silence, "I am afraid that we will have to impose further restrictions on the leaving of the sanctuary and hereby decree that the following laws concerning relations between the Gold and Ancient Dragons be put into effect.

"First, no member of the Gold Dragon race is to speak to any member of the Ancient Dragons race, nor associate with any member of the Ancient Dragon race unless it is unavoidable in the course of armed service.

"Second, no member of the Gold Dragon race will be allowed to send or receive any type of letter or communication to or from any member of the Ancient Dragon race.

"And finally, any member of the Gold Dragon race found breaking these laws shall be charged with high treason against the Fire Dragon Lord and condemned without trial to exile or death, the punishment to be determined by the inner council according to the nature and severity of their actions." The tone of the elder's voice was harder than any in the room had ever heard it, and Lileina was squeezing Sorian's hand so tightly that the tiny bones of her fingers rubbed rather painfully against one another.

"Ouch, Lileina," she murmured, looking over at her friend, whose face was white as her eyes locked onto the figure of the elder at the front of the room. Unseen by either girl, Rinoa's eyes flickered over to Lileina's ashen cheeks and a tiny smile of contentment spread over her face.

"This session of council is now dismissed, with the exception of the inner council members and the chief of the guard." As the chief elder was surrounded by his inner council, the rest of the sanctuary's inhabitants began to file out. As soon as they were in a somewhat deserted area, Lileina grabbed Sorian by the arm and pulled her around a corner into a dark alcove where they could talk a bit more privately.

"Lileina, what's..."

"Did you hear what he said, Sorian? If anyone but you finds out that I'm Valtier's mate, I'll be sentenced to death without even a chance to explain myself!" Struggling to remain calm, Lileina tried to keep her voice down. Her face seemed to have been drained of all its blood, and Sorian looked at her with wide eyes.

"Calm down, Lileina...I'm sure they wouldn't kill you..."

"You know as well as I do that they would, Sorian, I can hear it in your voice. Because I'm a miko, I'm supposed to know better, and because I'm not just receiving letters from him or talking to him or even associating with him, I am his _mate_! That can't be changed, nor do I wish that it could be, but I am no longer safe here." Closing her eyes, Lileina shook her head. "There is...only one thing that I can do now. I have to go..." She turned to leave, but Sorian grabbed her hand.

"You...will be coming back, won't you?" Her voice was suddenly shaking, and Lileina looked at her with eyes that reflected all the sadness in the world.

"I don't know. I can't promise anything, not now. But if I don't...please...don't forget that I love you. I always will, my sister." Afraid she was going to cry, Lileina reached over and hugged Sorian tightly to her chest. "Good bye." Turning, she began to run down the hall, looking back only once at her friend. Pressing her hands to her bosom, Sorian looked down with tears in her eyes.

"I...love you too, Lileina."

* * *

For once, it was Lileina who was late to meet Valtier. He was waiting by the pond where they had first met, sitting on the same rock he had first seen her sitting on, pressing her handkerchief to his face. After last night, he could hardly believe that this wasn't all some beautiful dream. She had actually agreed to consider living in Karal, living with him, and he hoped that she could give him an answer about it soon.

A figure dressed in white came running through the trees, and he stood up to catch her in his arms. Lileina hugged him for a long time, not caring that she was crying all over his shirt. Realizing that she was upset, Valtier frowned as he looked down at her.

"What is it?"

"I can't stay at the sanctuary any longer," she said, her voice muffled against his chest. "They'll kill me..."

"Who will kill you?"

"The council," Lileina murmured, still in tears.

"What crime can you have possibly committed that could warrant death, my dear?" Sounding concerned for her safety, Valtier leaned his head onto hers.

"Only loving you," she whispered, tears running down her cheeks as she shook her head. 

"What do you mean?" Still holding her close to his chest, Valtier listened as Lileina explained the new laws that the elders had passed, growing angrier as he heard more about it. "Damn them," he said softly, once she was finished. "They don't understand a damn thing. Artemis said they were mad about the weapon, but he didn't say anything about this."

"Valtier...I'm scared...what if they find out about us? What can I do?" Her eyes turned up to his as if she were asking him to tell her how to make the whole world go away, and he smiled gently at her, trying to comfort her a little.

"Say you'll come live with me, here in Karal. I'll take care of you, I promise. we can even have one of those human ceremonies you like that means we're mated. You're all I need to be happy, Lileina. Just say you'll stay with me, and I'll do everything I can to protect you." Lovingly, he wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Please."

"All right," she said resignedly, nodding her head. "But I have to say goodbye to Sorian. She's been my best friend for so long, and I know she's scared for me. We can meet tomorrow at noon in the field of flowers, and find our way from there." Lileina hoped he wouldn't argue with her about this, and much to her relief, he did not.

"Very well, my dear. Why don't we talk to your friend the elder in Karal while we're here? Maybe he can tell us about somewhere we can live until we both find jobs." Putting an arm around her, Valtier motioned towards the path that led to the elder's house. "I don't know what kinds of jobs humans have, but I'm sure there's something I can do."

"I can work, too," Lileina said softly. "I would feel just terrible if I made you do all the work. But I'm not good at sewing or cooking...maybe I can work at the bookseller's cart. He's always been so kind to me." The more they talked, the more at ease Lileina found herself becoming. She walked alongside Valtier towards the elder's house, taking his hand after a few moments. Valtier smiled over at her, and she sighed peacefully. He always knew how to make her feel safe. A soft breeze blew over the pond, sending ripples lazily across its surface as Lileina and Valtier disappeared between the trees.

As they did, the bushes on the other side of the lake rustled and parted, and Rinoa came out of her hiding place. She smiled, an ugly, cruel smile, and tried not to laugh aloud. It had been so easy to follow Lileina because she had been completely distracted. And now she knew why. Sneaking back out of the forest, Rinoa smiled to herself. This was going to be wonderful.

A few hours later, after the elder has assured them of a place to stay and all the help he could offer them in finding work in Karal once they were settled, Lileina and Valtier made it out into the middle of the city. Both Jacob, the elder, and Elaine were so excited that they had offered to give the young couple their wedding, since they had never had a daughter to marry off. Of course Lileina and Valtier had tried to refuse, but the more they tried to back away, the more Elaine and Jacob had advanced, until they had placated them by agreeing to consider it. In the end, it had been the only way they could get out of the house.

Now, as they walked through the center of town, both Valtier and Lileina felt as if a weight had been lifted from their shoulders. Everything was falling wonderfully into place, and Lileina had almost been able to forget everything that had happened in council earlier that day. She leaned her head on Valtier's shoulder, sighing peacefully. It was breaking her heart to think that she was leaving Sorian behind, but she knew that if she didn't stay in Karal with Valtier, she would never be able to see her friend again. At least this way...there was always the chance that one day she would be able to see her once again. And at least she would have the chance to say goodbye.

"Are you hungry?" They were passing by an inn, and Valtier looked over at her, breaking her out of her thoughts. Lileina realized that it had been quite a long while since she had eaten, and nodded up at him.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I am. I was so...caught up in my own world this morning that I didn't eat much at breakfast." Music was emanating from the tavern on the lower level of the inn, and Lileina motioned towards it. "How about here? It looks like a nice enough place."

"Whatever you want right now, my dear. My main concern at the moment is making you as happy as I can. Before long, we're going to have to spend our days working, and we won't see this city the same way we do now. I want you to enjoy everything as long as you can." Leading her into the tavern, Valtier chose a good table by the wall and helped her sit down. They were silent for a while as they watched the people who shared this small space with them.

From the atmosphere in the tavern, it was almost hard to believe that there was a war going on, and that this small town had been attacked by demons not much more than a week earlier. A small band was playing a spirited tune in the corner, and a group of men and women were dancing in couples by the fire to the music that danced like the flames in the hearth. The hum of voices mixed together in discussion and song made the place seem both lively and cozy at the same time, and Lileina smiled gently. How could she ever see this place as anything but magical? A young, rather busty barmaid came over to their table, a bright smile on her rosy checked face.

"Good evening! Well, what can I get for you two?" She beamed at the two of them as she held her serving tray close to her body and leaned on the table. "The roast beef is excellent tonight."

"Then we'll have that," Valtier said as Lileina nodded her agreement. "And a bottle of your strongest wine, please." The barmaid went to get their order, and Valtier winked at his dinner partner. "Let's see if this wine is as weak as the last bottle we had."

"Oh, Valtier...you know they don't have the stomachs for the wine we brew. You're going to have to get used to it if we're going to live here." She smiled as the food was brought to their table, and allowed Valtier to talk her into having a few more glasses of wine than she was used to. It was stronger than she had expected, and her cheeks grew redder with each glass, glowing in the firelight like embers. 

Torches were lit along the wall as the sun began to fade from the sky, and by the fire the men and women were still dancing to the music that seemed to pour endlessly from the instruments of the band. Lileina looked over at them, her eyes fixing onto one particular couple who seemed to have been dancing together since she and Valtier arrived at the tavern. They looked happy together, and she wondered as she watched them if people looked at her and Valtier this way. Just another happy young couple. No worries, no cares, only...

"What are you looking at?" Smiling, Valtier leaned on his hand as he looked over at her and Lileina motioned over to the couple she was watching. The song had ended, and now the two were hugging by the firelight as they ended the dance with a flourish. 

"Those two, dancing by the fire."

"Would you like to dance too?"

"Oh, no..." Shaking her head, Lileina sipped her wine. "I was just thinking about how happy they look together. I wonder if they've been together a long time...if they worry about the same things we do." Following them across the floor as they began another dance, Lileina lifted her glass back to her lips. "Hmmm."

"It's getting dark out there," Valtier commented, glancing towards one of the large windows. "Maybe you'd better start back to the sanctuary."

"Not yet," Lileina replied softly, finishing the wine in her glass. "I'm hoping to sneak back in there later tonight when it's darker. We can stay here a little *hic* longer." Putting a hand over her mouth, Lileina blushed as she realized she had hiccuped. "Oops."

"Maybe you had better not have any more wine." Pulling her glass away from her hand, Valtier gave her a little smile, and Lileina turned even redder.

"Maybe you're right." Pushing her plate away as she nodded, Lileina rested her head on her arms. "We could go watch the stars on the hill if you want."

"That sounds nice," Valtier said, pushing his own plate away and stretching. Rummaging around in his pockets, he pulled out some gold and tossed it onto the table between the plates. "We'd better hurry before the sentinels get too nervous." This made Lileina laugh a little, and Valtier frowned, wondering what she was laughing at.

"Guards, they're called guards here." Standing up a little too quickly, Lileina suddenly felt herself become extremely lightheaded. Swaying a little on her feet, she grabbed at the edge of the table for support and Valtier caught her as she missed it.

"Lileina?"

"I'm...okay, just a little...dizzy." Her face felt very hot, and she leaned on Valtier's chest with a smile. "S-sorry..."

"Are you drunk?" The look on his face was more amusement than concern, and Lileina shook her head firmly at him. This only made her head spin more, and Valtier choked back laughter as best he could. "Are you sure?"

"Maybe...I had a little too much to drink." Still smiling, she sighed. "I'm sorry about this..."

"Don't apologize. All you need is to lay down for a few minutes. I'll go get us a room so you can rest. After all, I wouldn't want you to try and fly home like this." Helping Lileina back into her seat, he went over to the bar and talked for a few minutes to the busty girl who had served them. A moment later, he returned to help her back up and lead her up the stairs to the bedroom.

Opening the door, he helped her inside and onto the bed. Lileina leaned back onto the headboard as she watched him close the door and lock it before heading towards the bed, loosening the ties on his shirt.

"What are you doing?"

"May as well get some rest myself. Are you wearing your boots still?" Kneeling by the bed, he fought back another burst of laughter as he lifted up her leg and pushed her skirt up a little so he could pull off her boots. As his hand brushed her bare leg, Lileina felt herself blushing again. A memory of lying completely naked in his arms came back to her from the night before, and her heart began to beat faster. Her dizziness seemed to have disappeared as suddenly as it had come, and there was only one thing on her mind at that moment. "Sometimes you can be so odd..."

"Valtier?" 

"There." Tossing one of her boots beside the bed, he pulled the other off quickly and looked up at her. "Are you feeling more comfortable n..." His words were cut off as Lileina leaned down and kissed him firmly on the lips. Surprised by her sudden action, he dropped her other boot onto the wood with a thud. Lileina didn't seem to notice it, the whole world had disappeared, leaving only a desire to be close to him, as close as they had been the night before, and feel his hands running over more than just her bare legs.

Unlike the night before, however, Valtier didn't hesitate to return her sudden advances. As if reading her mind, he began to return her kiss with all the passion he had in his body. Kissing Lileina only led to Valtier crawling up to join her on the bed, and from there it wasn't long before they were lying in one another's arms, falling down into the feather bed of oblivion.

* * *

At the Fire Dragon Lord's sanctuary, Sorian lay wide awake in her bed. There was still no sign of Lileina. She supposed she should assume that if she hadn't returned yet, she wasn't going to return at all. But still, something in her heart made her want to believe that her friend was still thinking about her, and would return for one final farewell.

Getting up from her bed, Sorian went next door to Lileina's room to see if maybe she had returned and not come by to see her. Hesitating only a moment, she knocked softly on the door and waited for a reply.

"Lileina? Are you there?" Only the sound of silence greeted her, and she moved to knock again. Just before her knuckles hit the door, though, she stopped suddenly. Sadly turning away from the door and went back to her own room, leaning on the closed door with a sigh. She wasn't coming back.

* * *

The sun rose an hour earlier than usual the next morning, and Lileina opened her eyes slowly as a beam of light trickled through the window and fell over her face. Looking up, she realized that she was laying, completely unclothed, in Valtier's arms. A feeling of contentment came over her for just a moment before she remembered that she had told him that she needed to return to the sanctuary to say goodbye to Sorian.

Gently shaking Valtier, who was still very much asleep, she smiled a little. He didn't wake up right away, and Lileina took the opportunity to look at him a little longer while he slept. The sun was falling over his face in just the right way so that it illuminated his features, over which a few long strands of his aqua-blue hair lay. He looked so peaceful that Lileina hated to wake him, but she wasn't about to leave him without saying anything.

Bits of a dream came floating back to the top of her mind, and she smiled softly as she watched Valtier's bare chest rise and fall slowly beneath the sheets with each breath he took. His face moved a little, and she realized that he was about to wake up at any moment.

_Please...just a few more moments. I know I'll see him like this every morning from now on, but please...please let me remain here, like this...just a few moments longer..._ Lileina reached out as if she was going to touch his face, then drew her fingers away at the last moment, just before they touched his skin. _Valtier..._

"Good morning, my dear." His eyes opened slowly as he reached up to run a hand through her silken hair. "You look happy this morning."

"I...was having a dream. A very nice one..." Smiling down at him, Lileina took his hand as he pressed his palm to the side of her face. "Valtier...I have to go. I need to go back to the sanctuary to say goodbye to Sorian. There are also a few things I want to get from my room."

"All right. I was thinking about going back to the City of Ancients to say goodbye to Artemis. He's been my best friend since we were hatchlings together, so I guess I owe it to him." Sitting up, Valtier kissed Lileina's forehead. "We'll still meet in the field of flowers like we promised, but just after noon so I have time to see Artemis and maybe Aleris. How about that?"

"Sounds perfect." Lileina bit her lip as she tried to smile. "It's kind of strange, talking about this as if I'll never go back after today. I never thought I'd leave the sanctuary... Whenever I was younger, I always...always felt so safe there."

"Don't worry about a thing," Valtier said, lifting her chin gently so he could kiss her. "Everything will be all right. As long as we're together, we'll find a way to make it all right."

"I love you, Valtier."

"And I love you," he said, smiling gently at her. In the morning light, with her long hair hanging all around her face and shoulders, she looked as if she had fallen from the sky just to be near him. "What was your dream about?"

"I'll tell you when I get back," Lileina said, smiling secretively. "Right now, I'd better get back to the sanctuary before Sorian completely gives up on me."

"Okay." Climbing out of bed, Valtier searched for his pants, which had somehow gotten thrown across the room and were hanging from the back of a chair. While he dressed, Lileina found her dress and slip and put them on quickly. 

A few minutes later, they were back down on the main street in front of the inn. After sharing one more quick kiss, they prepared to part company for the last time. Lileina smiled up at Valtier, her eyes laughing in the sunlight.

"I'll return soon," she said, going towards the forest. Valtier nodded, turning back to the doorway of the inn. He still needed to pay for their room.

"Be careful." Going back into the building, he didn't see her taking a detour through the marketplace. He paid the woman at the front desk quickly and hurried back out into the street, towards the forest so he could return one last time to see his friend. For some reason, he suddenly wanted very badly to see Artemis.

* * *

A short burst of knocking at her door awoke Sorian from her restless sleep, and she opened it to find Lileina standing outside in the hall, a purple silk drawstring pouch clutched tightly in her hand. She was smiling a little as she looked into the room.

"Hello, Sorian. May I come in?"

"Of course! Please, come in...hurry..." Pulling her inside the room, Sorian looked concerned. "Drassi has been looking everywhere for you. And...he looks really strange...like he's either really angry or really happy. And the weird thing is that I can't tell which it is."

"That doesn't matter right now, I'm only here for a moment. I had to get some things from my room, and of course I could never leave without saying goodbye to you." Lileina opened the drawstring bag and rummaged around inside it for a moment before finding what she was looking for and extracting it with a smile. Reaching over, she took Sorian's hand and pressed something into it with a smile. "Here, I want you to have this. You've been my best friend for so long...stood with me no matter what happened. I'm going to miss you so much..."

"I'll miss you as well." Sorian looked into her hand at the present Lileina had given her, and her mouth fell open with surprise. "Lileina...this ring..." In her palm was a wide band with little flowers carved into it and a pink Taria stone glittering in its center. "I can't take this..."

"Yes, you can. And I want you to wear it, too." Closing her hand over Sorian's, Lileina smiled. "And whenever you look at it, think about me...and know that I'll be thinking of you."

"Will...will I ever see you again?" Tears filled Sorian's voice as she closed her fingers around the ring. She didn't know how to tell Lileina that she would wear it every day, and think of her more than she would ever know.

"Maybe. Once this war is over and everything has settled down again...if there is a way for us to meet again, I'll find it." Leaning over a little, Lileina softly kissed her friend on the cheek. "Besides, I want you to meet Valtier some day."

"What's in the bag?" Hoping to stall her friend for a moment or two longer, Sorian turned her gaze to the purple bag. Understanding what she was doing, Lileina smiled as she patted it.

"Just some things...a few books, some gold, the sketch I made, Valtier's letter...and some gold and jewelry, just in case we don't find work right away." Reaching over to take Sorian's hand once more, Lileina's smile turned sad. "I do wish you could come."

"You do know it will be hard, don't you?" Saddened as she realized that Lileina would be leaving in a few minutes, Sorian squeezed her friend's hand gently as she nodded solemnly.

"I know. But we love each other very much...so I know it will be okay." Lileina fought back tears as she held Sorian's hand tightly. "I have to go now. If anyone asks, just tell them I left. And...tell the elders not to be too angry with me. It's not that I'm ungrateful...I just can't live my life being so closed-minded." Going to the door, she smiled as a few tears slipped out. "Goodbye, Sorian. Take care of yourself for me. I know we'll see each other again someday." Turning away before she cried any more, Lileina hurried out the door and down the hall.

"Goodbye..." Gazing at the ring in her hand, Sorian refused to wipe the tears from her eyes as they dripped onto her miko robe. "Goodbye."

Standing on the topmost ledge of the spire that stretched high above the sanctuary's towers, Lileina closed her eyes and stretched out her arms. Knowing there wouldn't be any guards this high up, she had climbed up to the very top to make her last departure. The wind blew across her face, and she opened her eyes to check the purple pouch that she had tied tightly around her waist. It was still in place, and she turned her gaze out over the sanctuary. It was a large building, stretching over quite a lot of land, housing so many creatures and so many lives...and now she was leaving her whole life up to that time behind. And for what?

_Love_, she thought as she stepped forward off the ledge and leapt out into the sky. Stretching out her arms and legs, Lileina allowed herself to free fall for a few moments through the morning air, her hair flying up around her face as she smiled. _For love..._

Just moments before she would have hit the ground, Lileina transformed into her dragon self, her golden wings shining bright in the sunlight as she turned and flew towards the field of flowers, enjoying the feeling of the air beneath her wings, pushing her upwards, carrying her higher and higher until even Sorian could no longer see her from the window of the study.

* * *

"You're insane," Artemis said matter-of-factly as Valtier stood in the doorway of the study of the Hall of Records. "You've gone absolutely insane."

"Somehow I knew you would feel that way. But look on the bright side. At least you and Aleris won't have to cover for me any more." Putting his hands on his hips, Valtier smiled in an attempt to make his friend do the same. "Come on, I thought you'd be at least a little happy for me."

"It's not that I'm not happy for you....I just worry. The Gold Dragons' council was really angry when I took them that message, but yet they haven't said or done anything about the weapon since then. And I would really hate for you two to get caught up in the middle of this." Sighing, Artemis closed his book. "For a supposed higher race, the Gold Dragons can be surprisingly stubborn." Standing up, he managed a smile. "But I don't think they could ever hope to match you for hardheadedness." 

"I don't know whether I should thank you or punch you."

"I'm happy for you, okay?" Going over to the doorway, Artemis' smile brightened as he extended a hand to Valtier. "Guess I'm just a little jealous. Lileina really is an amazing creature...there aren't many like her in this world." 

"Believe me, I know. She's...wonderful." There was an awkward pause, which was broken as Valtier reached out suddenly to pull Artemis closer and embrace him in a brotherly fashion. With a small sigh, he shook his head. "Goodbye, old friend."

"Old?!"

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah....I know."

* * *

Lileina reached the field first, just after noon, and looked around for Valtier. He was nowhere to be seen, and she smiled to herself. Males always wanted to pretend that they weren't as emotional as females, but when it came right down to it...

The sun shone warmly on the field, and Lileina waded into the flowers slowly, almost reverently. All the blooms seemed to be brighter than usual, and she smiled gently as she gazed at them. This was their field, hers and Valtier's, where they had first learned of each other's true nature, and where they spent so many afternoons together, just sitting side by side. Had the flowers been as bright back then?

Kneeling down, Lileina drew something from the pocket of her robe as she set aside the purple silk pouch. She clasped the small item in both her hands as she closed her eyes. Even though she was no longer at the sanctuary, and in her mind no longer even a miko, she still believed that the Fire Dragon Lord deserved some thanks for the happiness that she felt so strongly at that moment. Lileina's heart beat faster as she thought back to the day when she was supposed to be praying in the temple but had been thinking of Valtier instead, a day that seemed so far away now. Silently, she murmured a quick prayer.

_Great Fire Dragon Lord...I know I wasn't always the best miko, but yet somehow you still saw fit to send me someone as kind and wonderful as Valtier. And although it was dangerous, you helped me find the way here...I still don't know why. Thank you so much, for all you have done for us...I never thought I would be able to learn what love was or how to show it to another, but now I do. Was that...was that your plan all along?_

Though her prayer was finished, Lileina's eyes remained closed as she lost herself for a few moments in a scrapbook of memories that seemed to fill her mind, as well as the dreams of the future that she hoped would come true. Sighing peacefully, she tightened her grasp on the thing in her hands, keeping them clasped as if in prayer.

_It seems like such a long time ago that I worried that Valtier wouldn't be able to love me because I was a Gold Dragon...but it has really only been a few months. When I first saw him, though, I knew I didn't care if he was a human or anything else...loving him seemed to come so naturally to me. I wonder...if it's possible for a creature to be too happy. That seems like such a silly thought, doesn't it...but I really don't know, do I? At this moment...right now...this is the happiest I have ever been, because I know that Valtier loves me, and that any time now he will come from between the trees and tell me...tell me..._

There was a soft rustling sound behind her back that Lileina failed to hear until it was a moment too late. Then, a sudden silver-hot pain drove into her back and sliced its way through her entire body. Gasping for breath as the pain threatened to envelope her, Lileina looked down to see a dark red stain spreading across the center of her white gown. It took her a moment to realize that it was blood, her blood, and she frowned at it, not seeming to understand why, in the center of the stain, just under her ribs, there was a large blade protruding from her body.

"Wha---" It was painful, terribly so, to talk, and Lileina turned to look over her shoulder to see who was there. "D...Drassi?"

In the air, Valtier felt a sudden pain race through his chest, causing him to lose a little altitude. Instantly, he remembered the last time he had felt a pain like this, and flapped his wings ever harder in an effort to make himself fly faster. he had to get to Lileina. Something was very wrong. 

"Yes...it's me, Lileina. I know all about where you've been going all this time and what, or should I say _who_ you've been with." Drassi's golden hair fell over his eyes as he leaned his full weight on the sword, surprised that she was still upright on her knees. "You're stronger than I gave you credit for, my dear."

"I...I will never..." Glaring up at her assailant, Lileina's blue eyes were icy. "...never let...myself be on my...hands and knees before you..." Each breath she took caused the blade in her chest to draw back against her lungs, and she gasped softly. 

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Cruelly, Drassi tightened his grip on the sword, making sure that it moved a little in her chest as he did. "I told you, Lileina, that we are meant to be together. And if you won't be my mate, so help me, I'll see to it that you're no one's." Lifting the sword up with his strong arms, Drassi hoisted Lileina's entire body off the ground with the blade, driving it further upward into her chest. No longer able to control herself, Lileina screamed so loudly that it reverberated off the trees in the forest and echoed back to her ears. At that moment, Valtier burst through the trees, just in time to see his mate being lifted off the ground on the end of a sword.

"NO!" Shouting at the top of his lungs, Valtier ran down the hill and towards Lileina, whose eyes were fixed on his, begging him not to look at her. Startled by the sudden appearance of someone who might prove to be a formidable enemy, Drassi dropped his sword and let Lileina's body fall to the ground. She fell forward into the flowers with a tiny cry of pain and lay motionless among the bright blooms. Pulling his sword quickly out of her back, he kept his eyes on Valtier, who was still running at him. "Son of a bitch! I'll tear your head off!"

"Will you now?" Drassi was trying his best to sound unafraid, but as he spoke he noticed that Valtier's eyes were beginning to glow an odd color. Suddenly deciding that he didn't want anything to do with an enraged Ancient Dragon, he backed quickly away towards the hills on the other side of the valley.

"Don't you dare run away," Valtier snarled, his voice more like a demon's than a dragon's, and he could feel his dragon self on the brink of losing control. Sensing this, Drassi ignored his warning and took off over the hill to transform. "Damned coward!"

"Val...tier?" A tiny voice from the field of flowers brought him instantly back to himself, and he turned to see Lileina propping herself up on one elbow, reaching weakly towards him.

"Lileina!" Running to her so fast that he tripped over a rock and stumbled a few steps, Valtier fell to his knees at her side and looked over her. "Oh, god...Lileina, what did he do to you?" There was so much blood on her body and on the ground that he didn't know what to do, or if he should try to pick her up.

"I'm...I'm sorry." Her eyes filled with tears as she fought back a burst of pain that traveled through her neck from her chest. "I...should have...come...later..."

"No, this isn't your fault...don't you blame yourself..." His eyes were wide, and there was a spark of panic in them that Lileina had never seen before. "What can I do? Please, tell me there's something I can do for you..."

"Just...just hold me...?"

"Of course..." Pulling her gingerly onto his lap, Valtier felt his stomach drop into his lap as he realized that the back of her dress was soaked in even more blood than the front, and becoming redder with each passing moment. He was silent as he tried to think of something to do, and Lileina looked up at him.

"Please...talk to me...I...I want to hear...your voice." Her breaths were becoming more and more shallow, and Valtier felt his eyes growing hot with tears.

"Isn't there something I can do to help you? Somewhere I can take you?" There was a note of desperation in his voice, and Lileina shook her head as best she could. "Please...I can't just let you die, Lileina..."

"There's nothing...nothing that...can be done..." The light in the back of Lileina's eyes that Valtier had so treasured was quickly fading, and he realized that she was right. All he could do for her now was hold her and try to make her comfortable. "Except...after I'm gone..."

"Y-yes?"

"Just...make sure..." Gasping again as she tried to catch her breath, Lileina pressed her clenched fists over the wound in her chest. "...make sure...you take me...to...to the Silent ocean..."

"Lileina..." Unbidden, tears had risen into his eyes and he reached over to caress her cheek. "I promise...I'll do anything you want." It was obvious from the way her skin was paling beneath his fingers that she would be gone very soon, and he shook his head as he cradled her in his arms. "Please...just don't leave me yet."

"Valtier...you made me...happy...I want you to...to know that much..." Coughing, Lileina closed her eyes as she expected a rush of pain to move through her chest. Strangely enough, though, her pain seemed to be fading away, only to be replaced by an odd chill. "Valtier...I'm...I'm cold..."

"Don't try to talk," he said softly, his voice breaking as he brushed her bangs away from her sweaty forehead. Holding her as close as he dared, Valtier kissed her forehead gently. "You made me happy, too, Lileina. So happy...I'll never forget how much you mean to me. And I'll always love you. Always..."

"I...remembered my...my dream," Lileina said, her eyes slowly closing as she coughed a little more, and a thin rivulet of bright blood ran from the corner of her mouth down her chin. "I...was happy in it...I was...your...your wife..."

"Lileina..." Closing his eyes, Valtier leaned down to kiss her pale lips despite the blood that was on her chin. Looking down at her face, he felt tears beginning to flow over his face. "I...had that dream, too." Smiling, Lileina opened her eyes once more to look up at him.

"Don't...cry...it doesn't hurt so...so much now..."

"They won't stop," he said softly, shaking his head. Lileina's gaze traveled over his face and settled onto his eyes. Her eyes seemed like little more than blue chips of stone, having lost almost all of their light, and she tried her best to focus on his face.

"Promise...me...that you'll visit...Sorian...sometime? She...wanted to meet....you..."

"Yes, of course..." Hoping that by talking to her, he could keep her with him a few moments longer, Valtier brushed her face again with his fingertips. "Tell me, what else can I do?"

"Don't...know..." Turning her face to the side, she tried to sigh. "I'm so...tired...I just want to...close my eyes..." Her voice was trailing away with every word she spoke, and Valtier gently rubbed her cooling cheek with the back of his hand, wishing he could rub some life back into them. "You know...I..." Gasping softly, she was unable to finish her sentence as her chest heaved one last time. "V...Valtier...you know I...I'll always..." The last of her breath was running out, and she managed a tiny smile as she closed her eyes. "...al...ways..." Her head fell against his chest as the last of her life drained away, and suddenly she was so still and so small in his arms. Lileina's hand fell away from her body, her lifeless fingers opening as her hand hit the ground, and something clinked on the ground softly. Frowning, Valtier reached over to pick it up. It was a plain gold band, exactly like the one he had given Lileina, only this ring was reddened with his mate's lifeblood. The moment he realized what it was, Valtier felt himself on the verge of losing control. No matter what he did, no matter how long he sat there holding her, Lileina was never coming back.

A scream of anguish escaped his lips as he hugged Lileina to his chest, the ring clutched in his hand, hoping that somehow he could bring a spark of life back into her still form. She remained motionless, and Valtier found himself breaking into tears.

"LILEINA~!"

* * *

Back at the sanctuary, Sorian walked slowly towards the inner temple. She was missing Lileina already, and wanted to say a prayer for her and Valtier in the hopes that everything would turn out all right for them.

As she turned the corner and entered the main hall, Sorian noticed a figure standing near the entrance. She moved a little closer and saw that it was Drassi, and immediately resolved to steer clear of him, especially in his current humor. While she was searching for an alternate path to the temple, Sorian noticed that he was cleaning something. At first this seemed unimportant, and she continued on her way until she caught a glimpse of the cloth that he was using to clean his sword.

Her heart seemed to stop for a moment as she saw that the cloth was covered in something that was a strange reddish-brown color. Catching her breath, she pressed herself against the wall. Blood? But whose blood could it be? 

Suddenly frozen in place, Sorian almost didn't hear the elder behind her telling her that she was needed in the council hall for another full session of council to discuss the ancient weapon and what the council planned to do about it. Nodding slowly, she followed the elder out of the main hall and to the council hall, not realizing that she was trembling.

* * * 

As if in a trance, Valtier walked slowly across the sand of the Ruined desert with Lileina's limp, motionless form cradled in his arms. Her beautiful white dress was now almost completely stained red, and her head leaned against Valtier's chest as he walked. She seemed so small now, so light in his arms, as if she were no more than a rag doll. He tried not to think about that as he walked on through the sand. If he stopped now to think about the reason why he was walking toward the Silent ocean, he might break down again. And he couldn't risk that, not yet. He had promised Lileina that he would take her there.

Looking up, he thought he saw a large structure looming before him, and he shook his head. The sun was playing tricks on his eyes. As he took a few more steps towards the building, he realized that it was no mirage, that he was really standing before the Fire Dragon Lord's sanctuary. For a moment, he considered just walking on past it, but as he looked up at the sanctuary, anger like he hadn't felt in years rose in his chest, and he knew he couldn't just walk away. They had to know...there were consequences. Holding Lileina's body a little tighter, he turned and walked towards the entrance.

Inside the council hall, the elders were preparing to discuss the actions they had decided up on in regards to the Ancient Dragons and their refusal to turn over the weapon. In the upper gallery, Sorian sat against the wall, her eyes flickering over to where Drassi sat with the guards, looking unusually subdued. The empty seat next to Sorian seemed to make Rinoa, who was sitting a row behind her, smile a little wider than usual, but Sorian didn't see it, she was more concerned with just who Drassi had cut with his sword.

Just as the chief elder stood up to give his position, the doors at the back of the hall burst open and slammed against the walls. The room fell silent as Valtier walked slowly down through the center of the room, carrying the body of a woman that they all recognized as Lileina. A collective gasp went through the room, and Rinoa suddenly looked as if all the wind had been knocked out of her. Of course, this was what she had wanted but now...seeing Lileina's body...

Sorian pressed a hand to her mouth as she looked down at her friend, taking in the blood that covered her dress as well as the entire front of Valtier's clothes and suddenly putting together the location of the stain on her friend's dress with the blood Drassi had been wiping from his sword. _This isn't happening_, Sorian thought as she closed her eyes and started shaking her head as she pressed her hands to her temples. _This...isn't real…It can't be happening..._

"What is the meaning of this?" The chief elder exploded, pointing at Valtier from his place at the front of the room. "Just who do you think you are!?"

"I am Valtier, a sentinel of the Ancient Dragons," he said, his voice echoing through the council hall with all the anger in his chest. Even he couldn't believe just how much contempt he felt towards these creatures, who seemed more concerned that Lileina was getting blood on their floor than they did with her death. All around the room, he could hear their whispers.

"An Ancient Dragon? In our sacred hall?"

"An outrage!"

"What is he doing here?"

"I am here," Valtier continued, searching the room with his eyes for the one he knew had killed Lileina, but his vision was clouded by anger, and he turned his gaze back to the elder. "Because one of you killed my mate...Lileina." This caused a stir in the room, and Valtier's jaw hardened. "Since whoever it was didn't have the courage to face me, I will warn all of you in the hopes that he is listening. I have come here to tell you that nothing you can do will ever make me forgive what was done to Lileina, in the name of your laws." Scanning the room for any sign of emotion, he was further angered by the fact that he saw none. "I don't care how long it takes...one day I will have my revenge."

"She knew the penalty for her actions," the chief elder said, his blue-grey eyes cold as he looked at Valtier, his dislike for the Ancient Dragon evident. "Although none of us gave the order for her demise, Lileina understood all too well the consequences of the path she took."

"That may be so," Valtier said, his golden eyes glinting angrily as he looked at the elder. "But now, so do you." Looking around the room, his voice turned ever colder. "All of you." Having said all he came to say, Valtier bowed his head and walked out of the council hall, leaving the denizens of the sanctuary in shock as he made his way down the main hall and back out towards the unforgiving heat of the Ruined desert.

"Wait!" A voice from behind him caused Valtier to turn slightly, and he saw a tall, slender young woman running towards him, wearing the same robes he had seen Lileina in before. "Wait, please, wait!" He turned to her, smiling sadly.

"Sorian."

"H-how did you know?"

"You were the only one I saw crying." There was no trace of the anger he had been emanating in the council hall, and he tried to smile a little more. "She wanted me to meet you."

"You're exactly as she said," Sorian murmured, reaching over as if to touch her departed friend's face. "She looks so...so happy. May I say goodbye?"

"Of course you may. She loved you a great deal, you know." The words seemed to come from someone else's mouth as he watched Sorian gently stroke Lileina's face, tears pouring from her eyes as she looked over the lifeless body. "I'm glad I...got to meet you at least."

"Where are you taking her?" Sorian's voice was a whisper as she turned her eyes back up toward Valtier's face.

"To the Silent ocean. It's what she wanted...what she asked me to do."

"Then you must go. Before Drassi and the other guards come out here." Shaking her head, a frown crossed her face. "I'll bet it was him who did this to her." Leaning forward, she gave Lileina a soft kiss on her forehead and smiled sadly. "Take good care of her."

"I will." Turning, he began his long walk across the sand to the Silent ocean, and Sorian pressed her hands to her mouth as she watched him go, holding back a sob. The pink Taria ring shone on her finger as she closed her eyes.

_Oh, Lileina..._

On the shore of the Silent ocean, Valtier took a last look at Lileina's face before he started into the water. Sorian was right, somehow she did look happy. If nothing else, he supposed he could take some comfort in that.

Wading into the shallows of the ocean, he moved slowly out towards the horizon, knowing that somewhere nearby there was a drop-off point where the depth of the water suddenly plunged from a few feet to the bottom of the ocean. It was here that countless Dragons had been placed after they took their final breaths, and here that Lileina wanted to sleep beside them. Once he was in the water up to his waist, Valtier felt the water around him suddenly become cold, a clear indicator of its changing depth.

Reaching out, he placed his hands under her back so that she looked as if she were floating just on the surface of the water. Carefully, he folded her hands over the wound in her chest, Valtier looked down at her serene face with its long blonde hair floating like a halo around her head. Having put the ring she had intended to give him on his finger, he placed his right hand over hers so that their rings were side by side.

_Goodbye, Lileina. Your dreams from now on will be of nothing but happiness. I only hope that every now and then you will dream of me. You were too good for this world, my love. If only...you could have stayed in it... just a little longer._ Releasing her body, Valtier watched as the water rose up over her still figure, drawing her beneath the surface, into the depths of the Silent ocean. _Goodbye, my angel. We'll be together again soon...perhaps not in this world, but in the next._

A ray of sunlight glinted off the ring on Lileina's finger as she sank ever deeper into the darkness beneath the water. Unable to watch any longer, Valtier waded back to the shallows, choking back a fresh wave of tears. It was over. The beautiful dream was over. A memory of her voice echoed in his ears, as if it were carried by the wind.

_"I never would have believed that miracles could truly occur until I met you..."_

All the strength seemed to disappear from Valtier's legs, and he collapsed onto his hands and knees in the ankle-deep water as he remembered everything. The sound of her voice, the feeling of her arms around him, the warmth of her skin against his...it was all suddenly too much for him, and the ocean silently accepted his tears as the sun shone onto his back, warming him almost like Lileina's loving embrace. And in the wind, he could almost hear her voice.

_Goodbye...Valtier..._


	9. The Darkest Hour

"The Darkest Hour"

Less than a week after Lileina's death, the Fire Dragon Lord's sanctuary was attacked by Hellmaster's demons. Although the Gold Dragons were able to keep the casualties to a minimum, the elders were afraid that more attacks would follow and had decided to launch an attack on the City of Ancients to take the weapon by force.

Anticipating such an eventuality, the elders' council of the Ancient Dragons had erected a series of magical barriers around the weapon as well as the Sacred Dome. When the Gold Dragons arrived at the City of Ancients and discovered this, they were outraged. Unable to get to the weapon and feeling as if they had been betrayed, the Gold Dragons dealt the first actual blow in the centuries-old rivalry, which within hours led to a full scale massacre of the Ancient Dragon race as both sides continued to battle and refused to give up.

Badly wounded, Valtier managed to escape the City of Ancients after seeing both Artemis and Aleris killed as the elder of the two did his best to protect his younger brother. But despite their best efforts, both died under the sword of a Dragon whose eyes Valtier recognized at the ones he had looked into the day Lileina died. Though a part of him wanted desperately to remain and do what he could to kill the creature who had murdered his mate and his best friend, Valtier knew he was too hurt to do much more than crawl out of the city.

Deep gashes covered his arms and torso, and by the time he made it out into the Ruined desert, he had cast aside his armor in the hopes it would allow him to move faster. His clothes had been ruined in the struggle, leaving him with only a pair of somewhat ragged white pants to shield him from the sun as he dragged himself from the town and into the desert. Everything in his body told him that death was coming soon, and he wanted to make it to the Silent ocean so at least he could rest beside Lileina once more. Behind him, he could hear the roars and footsteps of the Gold Dragon guards that were trying to decide whether or not to follow him. Although it was painful, Valtier pulled himself faster across the sand. He couldn't die...not yet.

The minutes dragged on, knitting themselves into hours as he continued further into the desert, and he wondered how much longer he had to go before he was at the ocean. Then, out of nowhere, an enormous figure with long red hair and a gigantic sword appeared before him. At once, Valtier recognized him as the Chaos Dragon Garv, one of the Demon Lords.

A strange ringing sound filled Valtier's ears as he looked up at Garv, and he could barely hear what he was saying, but from what he could hear, it sounded as if he was being asked to join the demons.

"Never," Valtier managed, pulling himself to his feet with a great deal of effort and pain. He would rather die as a Dragon than live forever as a Demon. Using all his strength, he tried to transform into his dragon self. Unfortunately, he didn't have enough strength to do more than extend his midnight colored wings, and as they melted back into his skin, Valtier fell to the ground gasping for air and weaker than he had been before.

"Just look at you," Garv said mockingly, shaking his head. "You've lost everything. Your friends, your countrymen, even your mate...there's nothing left for you here, Valtier, and the Gold Dragons are the ones who took it all from you. Join me, and I'll see to it that you get your revenge on all of them."

"Huh," Valtier coughed, struggling to his feet one final time, swaying a bit as he fixed his eyes on Garv's face. "I would rather die."

"Then so be it." Lunging forward, Garv drove his enormous sword through Valtier's midsection, nearly cutting him in half as a result. The sword exited his back, impaling him on it in almost the same manner as Drassi had killed Lileina. The pain was unbearable, and Valtier's eyes widened in shock as he felt his own blood running down his chest. A sudden thought came into his head, and he looked upward into the heavens.

_Lileina...is this what it was like when you died?_ Feeling the sword slide deeper into his body, much to Garv's surprise, he smiled. _Wait for me... Lileina..._ Falling forward onto Garv's chest, Valtier released his last breath as his spirit flew to join that of his mate.

Shaking his head once more, Garv smiled. So this one did have some strength after all. It seemed such a waste to have had to kill him. Looking at the motionless body that still lay over his sword, Garv's smile deepened. Maybe this Valtier would be of use to him after all.

Somewhere far from the sands of the desert, Valtier opened his eyes. A bright light was pulsating gently before him, as if someone was breathing softly. The light was much too bright, and he had to shield his eyes with one hand as he stood up. On the other side of the light he could see Lileina coming towards him, her white-robed arms outstretched, welcoming him. Reaching out to her, Valtier rushed into the light, feeling a new warmth spreading through his body.

_Lileina...I'm home..._


End file.
